Automated transaction machine system

ABSTRACT

An automated banking machine ( 10 ) identifies and stores documents such as currency bills deposited by a user. The machine then selectively recovers documents from storage and dispenses them to other users. The machine includes a central transport ( 70 ) wherein documents deposited in a stack are unstacked, oriented and identified. Such documents are then routed to storage areas in recycling canisters ( 92, 94, 96, 98 ). When a user subsequently requests a dispense, documents stored in the storage areas are selectively picked therefrom and delivered to the user through an input/output area ( 50 ) of the machine. The control system ( 30 ) for the machine includes a terminal processor ( 548 ). Identification devices identify the type and character of a document, and distinguish genuine documents, such as genuine currency bills, from unidentifiable or suspect documents.

[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. applicationSer. No. 09/193,436 filed Nov. 17, 1998, which claims the benefit ofU.S. Provisional Application No. 60/067,320 filed Nov. 28, 1997. Thisapplication is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No.09/193,530 filed Nov. 17, 1998, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 60/067,320 filed Nov. 28, 1997. Thisapplication is also continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No.09/633,486 filed Aug. 07, 2000, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S.application Ser. No. 09/135,384 filed Aug. 17, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No.6,101,266, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No.08/749,260 filed Nov. 15, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,923,413.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] This invention relates to automated banking machines.Specifically this invention relates to an automated banking machine thatenables currency bills, notes or other documents deposited by onecustomer to be identified and stored in the machine, and laterselectively dispensed to another customer.

BACKGROUND ART

[0003] Automated banking machines are known in the prior art. A populartype of automated banking machine is an automated teller machine (ATM).Other types of automated banking machines are used to count and dispensecash. These machines are often used by tellers or customer servicerepresentatives in banking and other transaction environments.

[0004] Some types of automated banking machines are used to dispenseother items such as tickets, travelers checks, coupons, scrip, wageringslips, vouchers or other items of value. Some automated banking machinesaccept deposits in the form of envelopes, checks, cash or other items.Some automated banking machines can be used for providing credit, makingbill payments or to debit or deposit funds in various accounts. Forpurposes of this disclosure an automated banking machine shall beconsidered any type of machine which carries out transactions of value.

[0005] ATM machines commonly in use accept deposits from customers andprocess the deposits using devices which are separate from the deviceswhich dispense currency and other items to customers. Most common ATMdepositories require customers to place their deposits in an envelope.The envelope is accepted into the machine for storage. Although thecustomer indicates the value of the contents of the envelope, thecustomer's account is often not credited for the amount of deposit untilthe envelope is removed from the ATM by bank personnel and the contentsverified.

[0006] Other ATM machines have the capability of receiving checks andother negotiable instruments. Such machines may include a device such asis shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,422,467. Devices of this type can be used tocancel and produce electronic images of checks which are deposited intoan ATM machine. The cancelled checks are stored in the machine for laterremoval by bank personnel.

[0007] Currency notes, travelers checks and other documents and sheetmaterials that are commonly dispensed by ATMs, are generally housed inthe machine in removable canisters. Sheets are dispensed from thecanisters and delivered by the machine to customers. Periodically thesecanisters must be removed from the machine and the supply of sheetstherein replenished. This is a labor intensive activity. To replace thecanisters the secure portion of the ATM must be opened. The canisters inthe machine must be removed and new canisters, which include a newsupply of sheets, placed in the machine. Alternatively the canisters inthe machine may be opened, money or other sheets added, and thenreplaced. After the canisters are replaced the secure portion of themachine must be closed.

[0008] The replacement or resupply of canisters often requirestransporting filled canisters to the machine and returning partiallydepleted canisters to a remote location. While efforts have been made inthe design of canisters to minimize opportunities for pilferage, thereis always some risk. Therefore such activities are normally carried outby armed couriers. More than one person is often assigned to any taskwhere there is access to the cash or other valuables in the machine.Because numerous individuals may be involved in loading replacementcanisters, transporting replacement canisters to ATM machines, replacingthe canisters, returning the removed canisters and auditing the contentsof returned canisters, it is often difficult to identify the cause ofany losses.

[0009] The need to periodically replace currency canisters is aninconvenience because the ATM must be shut down. Customers are not ableto use the ATM while the supply of currency is being replenished, andlost opportunities to conduct transactions and customer dissatisfactionmay result. Customers will also be disappointed if replenishmentoperations are not performed frequently enough and the machine runs outof currency or other documents.

[0010] Other types of automated banking machines, such as those thatdispense cash to customer service representatives, have the samedrawbacks as ATM machines. Periodic replenishment of the currency orother valuable documents that are dispensed by the machine must be doneto keep the machine in operation. While such machines speed the cashdispensing service to the customer, there is a significant costassociated with segregating, preparing and transporting the currencybefore it is placed within the machine.

[0011] Other banking machines have been developed for identifying andcounting currency. Such machines may be used in banking and vendingenvironments. Machines which count currency generally require that thecurrency be pre-oriented a particular way to obtain properidentification. This is time consuming for the person operating themachine. Many currency counting machines also tend to reject valid notesdue to natural deterioration which occurs in U.S. currency. The speedassociated with such currency counting and accepting machines is alsoless than desirable in many cases.

[0012] Automated banking machines which are capable of receivingcurrency, identifying the particular type and denomination of currency,storing the currency and later dispensing it to a customer have beenused in countries outside the United States. Such recycling machines arefeasible in countries such as Japan where currency notes include specialfeatures which facilitate their identification by machines. However,such recycling machines have not generally been feasible with U.S.currency notes which generally do not include special features thatfacilitate identification by machine. U.S. currency notes also aresubject to a wide range of conditions such as wear, soiling andbleaching which do not render a note unfit for use, but which render itvery difficult for a machine to properly identify.

[0013] The currency recycling type banking machines that have beendeveloped also generally suffer from slow operating speeds. This isparticularly true when the machines are used to process a large numberof notes. Often such machines require that the notes be oriented in aparticular way and considerable time is associated with the rejection ofnotes due to improper orientation. The handling of the sheets tofacilitate identification and storage is also a time consuming process.Once a sheet has been initially identified as proper and stored in themachine, there is generally no check to be sure that the originaldetermination of the type and character of the note was correct. As aresult, a customer may receive a misidentified note. This can reducecustomer satisfaction.

[0014] Thus there exists a need for a currency recycling automatedbanking machine that is more reliable, operates more quickly, and whichcan be used with U.S. and other currencies as well as other documentswhich have a wide range of properties.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

[0015] It is an object of the present invention to provide a currencyrecycling automated banking machine.

[0016] It is a further object of the present invention to provide acurrency recycling automated banking machine that is reliable and thatoperates more rapidly.

[0017] It is a further object of the present invention to provide acurrency recycling automated banking machine that works with currencynotes and other documents that have a wide variety of properties.

[0018] It is a further object of the present invention to provide acurrency recycling automated banking machine that is capable ofunstacking and separating documents input in a stack.

[0019] It is a further object of the present invention to provide anautomated banking machine that orients documents relative to a sheetpath while moving such documents at a high rate of speed.

[0020] It is a further object of the present invention to provide acurrency recycling automated banking machine that can transport aplurality of documents in a sheet path concurrently and at a high rateof speed.

[0021] It is a further object of the present invention to provide acurrency recycling automated banking machine that identifies documentsand which returns unidentifiable documents to a customer.

[0022] It is a further object of the present invention to provide acurrency recycling automated banking machine that enables a customer todeposit documents into the banking machine, and after the documents havebeen identified, to elect whether to deposit the documents or to havethem returned.

[0023] It is a further object of the present invention to provide acurrency recycling automated banking machine that can identify depositeddocuments regardless of orientation.

[0024] It is a further object of the present invention to provide acurrency recycling automated banking machine that enables selectivelystoring deposited documents in storage areas in the machine.

[0025] It is a further object of the present invention to provide acurrency recycling automated banking machine that enables selectivelystoring deposited documents in removable canisters.

[0026] It is a further object of the present invention to provide acurrency recycling automated banking machine that enables recovery ofdocuments stored in storage areas and dispensing the documents tocustomers.

[0027] It is a further object of the present invention to provide anautomated banking machine in which documents may concurrently betransported, oriented, stored in storage areas and dispensed from otherstorage areas within the machine.

[0028] Further objects of the present invention will be made apparent inthe following Best Modes for Carrying Out the Invention and the appendedclaims.

[0029] The foregoing objects are accomplished in a preferred embodimentof the present invention by a currency recycling automated bankingmachine. The machine includes an input/output area in which a customermay insert documents that are to be deposited and from which a customerwithdrawing documents may receive documents.

[0030] A customer deposits documents in a stack. The documents are movedfrom the input/output area into a central transport. In an unstack areadocuments are removed from the stack one by one and separated into astream of single separate documents. The documents move along a documentpath in the central transport. The documents moving in the centraltransport are each deskewed to properly orient them relative to thedirection of travel along the document path. The documents are furthermoved to align them into a proper centered relation in the documentpath.

[0031] Each document is then moved past a document type identifierdevice which operates to identify the type and/or denomination of eachdocument. Identifiable documents are directed into an escrow area whileunidentifiable documents are directed into a reject area of theinput/output area of the machine.

[0032] A customer is informed of any unidentifiable documents throughinput and output devices on the machine. Any unidentifiable documentsmay then be delivered to the customer from the reject area.Alternatively, depending on the programming of the machine such rejecteddocuments may be stored in the machine for later analysis.

[0033] Properly identified documents are initially held in the escrowarea. The output devices on the machine indicate to the customer thetype and/or value of the identifiable documents. The customer preferablyis enabled to select whether to have such documents returned or todeposit such documents. If the customer elects to have the documentsreturned, the documents are passed out of the input/output area and thecustomer's account is not credited for the value of the documents.

[0034] If the customer elects to deposit the documents the documents areagain moved through the central transport in a stream of rapidly movingseparated documents. The documents are again identified by theidentification device. However, rather than being routed to the rejectand escrow areas, the identified documents are now preferably routed bythe control system of the machine to selected storage locations. Thestorage locations are locations in which documents of the particulartypes are stored in the machine. The storage areas in the machine of thepreferred embodiment are areas in a plurality of removable canisters.The customer's account is then credited for the value of the depositeddocuments.

[0035] The same customer who deposited documents or a subsequentcustomer wishing to make a withdrawal from the machine may receivedocuments that have been previously stored in the storage areas.Document dispensing mechanisms associated with the storage areasselectively remove documents from the storage areas and route them tothe central transport of the machine. As the documents move through thecentral transport they pass the identification device. The type anddenomination of each document being dispensed is verified. This assuresthat the initial identification of the documents made when they weredeposited in the machine is correct. This third verification assuresthat a customer withdrawing documents from the machine is not given animproper document. The documents are removed from the storage areasconcurrently so as to facilitate rapid operation of the machine and arecontrolled in movement through the remote transport segments and thecentral transport to assure that they move as a stream of separateddocuments as they pass the identification device.

[0036] The identified documents to be dispensed to the customer aremoved by the central transport to an escrow area. From the escrow areathey are presented to the customer. The customer's account is thencharged or debited for the documents that have been withdrawn.

[0037] The control system of the preferred embodiment includes adistributed processing system. The processing system has a hierarchywith the highest level being a terminal processor (TP). The terminalprocessor runs a terminal application which communicates with externaldevices as well as the other levels in the control system hierarchy. Amodule processor (MP) is below the terminal processor in the controlsystem hierarchy. The module processor coordinates activities within themachine and tracks the dispense and acceptance of media. The moduleprocessor handles the details of the instructions that it receives fromthe terminal processor.

[0038] The module processor communicates with a plurality of modulecontrollers (MC). The module controllers communicate with the devicesthat sense, move and direct media. The module controllers communicatewith the module processor and receive instructions therefrom. The modulecontrollers run tasks to control the physical devices based on theinstructions that they receive from the module processor. The tasksexecuted by the module controllers carry out the particular activitiesassociated with the instructions received from the module processor.

[0039] The hierarchy of the control system of the preferred embodimentenables each level to deal with particular functions that are mosteffectively handled by that level. This provides faster processing aswell as coordination between activities so that documents may be movedconcurrently through the machine.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0040]FIG. 1 is a schematic cross sectional view of currency recyclingautomated banking machine of a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

[0041]FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the functions performed by themachine shown in FIG. 1.

[0042]FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the components of the centraltransport and the input/output area of the machine.

[0043]FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 1 schematically representinginput of a stack of documents by a customer.

[0044]FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the input/output area shownreceiving a stack of documents from a customer.

[0045]FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 showing the document stackafter it has been placed inside the machine.

[0046]FIG. 7 is a schematic view similar to FIG. 1 showing an inserteddocument stack being moved from the input/output area of the machine tothe document unstack area of the machine.

[0047]FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing the stack moving from theinput/output area to the unstack area.

[0048]FIG. 9 is a schematic view of the unstack area of the machineprior to arrival of the stack.

[0049]FIG. 10 is a schematic view of the unstack area showing a stack ofdocuments being transported into the unstack area.

[0050]FIG. 11 is a view similar to FIG. 10 showing the stack ofdocuments moving into position for unstacking.

[0051]FIG. 12 is a view similar to FIG. 11 with the documents inposition for unstacking in the unstack area.

[0052]FIG. 13 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing documents passing fromthe unstack area through the central transport to the reject and escrowareas of the machine.

[0053]FIG. 14 is a view similar to FIG. 12 showing a document beingunstacked in the unstack area.

[0054]FIG. 15 is a view similar to FIG. 14 showing a document beingremoved from the stack and moving past the sensors for sensing doublesand pre-centering.

[0055]FIG. 16 is a schematic view showing a double note being retractedinto the stack.

[0056]FIG. 17 is a cross sectional view of a mechanism used forunstacking notes in the unstack area.

[0057]FIG. 18 is a schematic view of a shuttle half which is part of adeskewing mechanism, the shuttle half being shown in a note passingposition.

[0058]FIG. 19 is a view similar to FIG. 18 showing the shuttle half in anote stopping position.

[0059]FIG. 20 is a top plan view of a shuttle used for deskewing andcentering documents in the central transport.

[0060]FIG. 21 is a schematic view of a skewed note.

[0061]FIG. 22 is a schematic view similar to FIG. 21 showing the notebeing deskewed by the operation of the shuttle.

[0062]FIG. 23 is a view similar to FIG. 22 showing the note alignedtransversely to the direction of travel in the central transport but inan off center condition.

[0063]FIG. 24 is a schematic view of the note shown in FIG. 23 havingbeen moved by the shuttle to a centered position in the centraltransport.

[0064]FIG. 25 is a schematic view showing the shuttle moving a documenttransversely to the direction of travel in the central transport.

[0065]FIG. 26 is a schematic view of the pre-centering and centeringcircuitry used in connection with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

[0066]FIG. 27 is a schematic view of the input/output area of themachine as documents are delivered from the central transport.

[0067]FIG. 28 is a schematic view similar to FIG. 1 showingunidentifiable documents being delivered out of the machine to acustomer.

[0068]FIG. 29 is a schematic view of the input/output area showingunidentifiable documents being moved out of the machine.

[0069]FIG. 30 is a schematic view similar to FIG. 29 showingunidentifiable documents being routed into the machine for storage.

[0070]FIG. 31 is a schematic view similar to FIG. 1 showing documentsheld in escrow being routed into the central transport for storage inthe machine.

[0071]FIG. 32 is a schematic view of the input/output area moving thedocuments held in the escrow area.

[0072]FIG. 33 is a schematic view showing a portion of the drivemechanism for the drive belts in the input/output area.

[0073]FIG. 34 is an isometric schematic view of the input/output areadrive mechanism.

[0074]FIG. 35 is a schematic view similar to FIG. 1 showing documentsthat have been previously held in the escrow area being unstacked andpassed through the central transport and into the machine for storage instorage areas of document storage canisters.

[0075]FIG. 36 is a schematic view of a belt and carriage rollarrangement used for transporting documents in the central transport ofthe machine.

[0076]FIG. 37 is a side view of a guide used in connection with thecarriage transport rolls.

[0077]FIG. 38 is a cross sectional side view of the carriage rolls,document belts and guides shown in supporting connection with adocument.

[0078]FIG. 39 is a side view of a gate mechanism used for routingdocuments moving in remote transport segments, with the gate mechanismshown in a position enabling a document to pass directly therethrough.

[0079]FIG. 40 is a side view of the gate mechanism shown in FIG. 39 in acondition passing a document from the remote transport segment to acanister transport.

[0080]FIG. 41 is a view similar to FIG. 39 with the gate mechanism shownpassing a document from a canister transport into the remote transportsegment.

[0081]FIG. 42 is a view of the gate mechanism shown in FIG. 39 in acondition that enables a document to pass from the canister transportinto the remote transport segment, with the document moving in anopposed direction from that shown in FIG. 41.

[0082]FIG. 43 is a view of the gate mechanism shown in FIG. 39 with adocument passing from the remote transport segment into the canistertransport with the document moving in an opposed direction from thatshown in FIG. 40.

[0083]FIG. 44 is a schematic view of an arrangement of belts and pulleysadjacent to the gate mechanism shown in FIG. 39.

[0084]FIG. 45 is a schematic view of a sheet transport exemplifying theprinciples used for moving documents in the remote transport segmentsand in the canister transports.

[0085]FIG. 46 is a cross sectional schematic view showing a documentmoving in a transport of the type shown in FIG. 45.

[0086]FIG. 47 is a top plan view of a lid covering a storage area withina recycling currency canister.

[0087]FIG. 48 is a side cross sectional view of a storage area in acurrency canister shown with a sheet moving towards the storage area.

[0088]FIG. 49 is a view similar to FIG. 48 showing the sheet partiallyaccepted into the storage area.

[0089]FIG. 50 is a front plan view of the feed wheels, take away wheelsand thumper wheels adjacent to the storage area, with the sheet shownmoving into the storage area as shown in FIG. 49.

[0090]FIG. 51 is a view similar to FIG. 49 with the sheet moved into thestorage area but positioned above the stack of documents held therein.

[0091]FIG. 52 is a view similar to FIG. 50 with the accepted sheetintegrated into the stack.

[0092]FIG. 53 is a view similar to FIG. 52 with the newly accepted sheetheld as part of the stack by fingers positioned adjacent to the storagearea.

[0093]FIG. 54 is a schematic view similar to FIG. 1 showing the flow ofsheets from a storage area to an escrow area in response to a documentdispense request input by a user.

[0094]FIG. 55 is a cross sectional view of a storage area including astack of sheets therein from which one sheet is to be removed as part ofa dispensing operation.

[0095]FIG. 56 is a view similar to FIG. 55 in which the fingers holdingthe stack of sheets in the storage area have been retracted to enablethe sheets to engage the inner surface of the bin door.

[0096]FIG. 57 is a view similar to FIG. 56 in which the bin door israised with the feed wheels and thumper wheels shown beginning to moveso as to pick a sheet from the stack.

[0097]FIG. 58 is a view similar to FIG. 57 showing the feed and thumperwheels moved to a position in which a top sheet in the stack is beingremoved therefrom.

[0098]FIG. 59 is a front view of the feed wheels, thumper wheels,stripper wheel and take away wheels in engagement with a sheet as it isbeing removed from the stack in the manner shown in FIG. 58.

[0099]FIG. 60 is a view similar to FIG. 58 with the sheet shown havingbeen removed from the storage area and being sensed by a doublesdetector.

[0100]FIG. 61 is a top plan view of the bin door overlying a storagearea showing a sheet having been removed therefrom and moving towards agate mechanism adjacent to the remote transport.

[0101]FIG. 62 is a schematic view similar to FIG. 1 showing a stack ofsheets that have been dispensed from storage locations being deliveredto a user of the machine.

[0102]FIG. 63 is a schematic view of the architecture of the controlsystem of a preferred embodiment of the machine.

[0103] FIGS. 64-68 are a simplified flow chart showing an exemplarytransaction flow for a deposit transaction conducted at a currencyrecycling automated banking machine of the present invention.

[0104]FIGS. 69 and 70 are a simplified flow chart showing thetransaction flow of a withdrawal transaction conducted at the machine.

[0105]FIG. 71 is a schematic view of the class categories which operatein the module processor and the relationships between the classcategories.

[0106]FIG. 72 is a schematic view showing the map, slot and stationnumbering convention used by the module processor in the preferredembodiment of the invention.

[0107]FIG. 73 is a schematic view of a module map produced by the moduleprocessor corresponding to the central transport of the preferredembodiment of the machine.

[0108]FIG. 74 is a schematic view of a module map developed by themodule processor for a transport, canister and gate combination referredto as a multimedia recycler (MMR) in a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention.

[0109]FIG. 75 is a table of events and actions which occur in responseto the events in the operation of the module processor.

[0110]FIG. 76 is a schematic view of tasks which operate in a modulecontroller and the task manager which also runs therein.

[0111]FIG. 77 is a schematic view of the software flow for a typicalaccept operation for accepting documents in the central transport of themachine.

BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT INVENTION

[0112] Referring now to the drawings and particularly to FIG. 1 there isshown therein a currency recycling automated banking machine of thepresent invention generally indicated 10. The machine includes a housing12. Housing 12 includes a customer interface area generally indicated14. Interface area 14 includes components used for communicating with auser of the machine. These components may include a display 16 whichserves as an output device. The interface area may also include a keypad18 and/or a card reader 20 which serve as manually actuatable inputdevices through which a user may input information or instructions intothe machine. It should be understood that these devices are exemplaryand other input and output devices such as a touch screen, display,audio speakers, iris scan devices, fingerprint reading devices, infraredtransmitters and receivers and other devices which are capable ofreceiving or providing information may be used.

[0113] The machine also includes other devices which are indicatedschematically. Such devices may include a receipt printer 22 whichprovides receipts to customers concerning activities related to theirtransactions. Other devices indicated schematically include a journalprinter 24 for making a paper record of transactions. A passbook printer26 indicated schematically may also be included within the housing ofthe machine. A check imaging device 28 may also be included for purposesof producing electronic images of checks deposited into the machine aswell as for cancelling such checks. Such a check imaging device may beof the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,422,467 or other similar mechanism.

[0114] Devices 22, 24, 26 and 28 are exemplary and other devices mayalso be included in the machine such as video cameras for connecting toa remote location, an envelope deposit accepting mechanism, ticketprinting devices, devices for printing statements and other devices. Itshould further be understood that while the embodiment described hereinis in the form of an automated teller machine (ATM) the presentinvention may be used in connection with other types of automatedbanking machines.

[0115] The machine 10 includes a control system generally indicated 30.The control system is in operative connection with the components of themachine and controls the operation thereof in accordance with programmedinstructions. Control system 30 also provides communications with othercomputers concerning transactions conducted at the machine. Suchcommunications may be provided by any suitable means, such as throughtelephone lines, wireless radio link or through a connection through aproprietary transaction network.

[0116] The preferred embodiment of the invention has the capability ofrecycling currency or other sheets or documents representative of valuereceived from a customer. For purposes of this description except whereindicated, the words documents, sheets, notes and currency are usedinterchangeably to refer to the sheet materials processed by theinvention. The process of recycling involves receiving the documents inbulk from a customer, identifying the type of documents deposited andstoring the documents in appropriate locations within the machine. Thestored documents may then be selectively retrieved and provided tocustomers who wish to withdraw funds from the machine.

[0117] It should be understood that the machine may include differentcomponents and interfaces to receive and deliver various types ofdocuments. Furthermore, the machine may be arranged to receive as wellas provide various types of documents, such as currency sheets, througha single opening. Such machine features and components may be of thetype shown in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/980,467 filed Nov. 28,1997, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0118] It should also be understood that the document recycling typemachine may include the machine features and relationships of the typeshown in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/193,530 filed Nov. 17,1998, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Thefeatures of this type can be used to classify and/or route documents.

[0119] The preferred embodiment of the invention includes the functionalcomponents schematically indicated in FIG. 2. These functionalcomponents include an input/output function which receives documentsfrom and delivers documents to users of the machine. An unstack function34 receives documents from the input/output function 32. The unstackfunction serves to separate the documents from the stack and deliverthem into a sheet path in separate, spaced relation.

[0120] The functional components of the machine further include a deskewfunction 36. As later discussed in detail, the deskew function operatesto orient the documents so that they are properly transversely alignedwith a sheet path. An alignment function 38 further orients the movingdocuments by centering them with regard to the sheet path. After thedocuments have been aligned they are passed to an identify function 40.The identify function operates to determine the type of document passingthrough the sheet path. In the preferred embodiment the identifyfunction includes determining the type and denomination of a currencybill or other document. Also the identify function determines if adocument appears suspect or is simply not identifiable.

[0121] The identify function is linked to the input/output function sothat customers may have any suspect documents or identifiable documentsreturned to them, rather than be deposited in the machine. The identifyfunction is also linked to document store and recover functions 42, 44,46 and 48. The store and recover functions operate to store documents inselected locations, and to recover those documents for purposes ofdispensing the documents to a customer.

[0122] Referring again to FIG. 1 the apparatus which performs thepreviously described functions is shown schematically. The input/outputfunction is performed in an input/output area generally indicated 50.The input/output area is adjacent to an opening 52 in the housing of themachine. Access through opening 52 is controlled by a movable gate 54which is shown in the closed position in FIG. 1.

[0123] Input/output area 50 includes four belt type transports. Thesebelt type transports are devices suitable for moving a stack of sheets,and preferably each comprise a plurality of belts such as is shown inU.S. Pat. No. 5,507,481. First belts 56 and second belts 58 bound adelivery/reject area 60 which extends vertically between the belts. Aslater explained, belts 56 and 58 are movable vertically relative to oneanother and move in coordinated relation to transport a stack of sheetswhich are positioned therebetween.

[0124] Input/output area 50 also includes third belts 62 and fourthbelts 64. Third belts 62 and fourth belts 64 vertically bound an escrowarea generally indicated 66. Belts 62 and 64 are similar to belts 56 and58 and are capable of moving a stack of documents therebetween. Thebelts in the input/output area, as well as gate 54, are driven byappropriate motors schematically indicated 68 which are operated by thecontrol system 30. The input/output area can be operated in variousmodes, examples of which will be discussed hereafter. FIG. 3 shows theinput/output area 50 in greater detail.

[0125] The input/output area communicates with a central transportgenerally indicated 70. Central transport 70 includes an unstack areagenerally indicated 72. The unstack area includes a tray 74 which issuitable for moving a stack of documents thereon. Unstack area 72further includes transport belts 76 and pick belts 78. As laterexplained in detail, the unstack area operates to separate documents anddeliver them in spaced relation into the document path of the centraltransport.

[0126] The deskew operation also includes doubles sensors 80 for use indetecting instances of double documents which have been removed from astack in the unstack area. These documents can be separated in a mannerlater discussed. Pre-centering sensors are also provided in associationwith the unstack operation, which sensors operate to assure that thedeskew and alignment operations can be performed properly.

[0127] From the unstack area sheets are transported to a deskew andcentering device 84. Deskew and centering device 84 performs thefunctions of aligning sheets transversely to a sheet path. It alsoperforms the function of moving the sheets so that they are centeredrelative to the sheet path through the central transport.

[0128] From the deskew and centering device, documents change directionby being turned on carriage rolls 86 and are moved past anidentification device 88. Identification device 88 is preferably of thetype shown in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/633,486 filed Aug. 7,2000, U.S. Pat. No. 6,101,266, or U.S. Pat. No. 5,923,413 which are eachowned by the Assignee of the present invention, and the disclosure ofeach is incorporated herein by reference. In alternative embodiments,other types of identification devices may be used. The identificationdevices preferably identify the type and character of passing note. Theidentification device also preferably distinguishes genuine documentssuch as genuine currency bills from unidentifiable or suspect documents.

[0129] From the identification device, documents are moved selectivelyin response to the position of divert gates schematically indicated 90.The divert gates operate under the control of the control system todirect documents either to the delivery/reject area 60, the escrow area66 or into the document storage and recovery areas of the machine.

[0130] The document storage and recovery areas include recyclingcanisters 92, 94, 96 and 98, which are later described in detail. Therecycling canisters are preferably removable from the machine byauthorized personnel. Each of the recycling canisters shown include fourstorage areas therein. These are represented by storage areas 100, 102,104 and 106 in canister 94. The storage areas provide locations forstoring documents that have satisfactorily passed through the centraltransport. Documents are preferably stored in the storage areas withdocuments of the same type. Documents stored in the storage areas canlater be removed therefrom one at a time and delivered to othercustomers.

[0131] Documents are moved to the canisters through remote transportsegments generally indicated 108, 110, 112 and 114. The remote transportsegments are preferably arranged in aligned relation such that documentsmay be passed between the transport segments. Each remote transportsegment has a media gate mechanism associated therewith. The media gatesgenerally indicated 116, 118, 120 and 122 operate in a manner laterexplained to selectively direct documents from the remote documentsegments into connection with adjacent canister delivery transportsindicated 124, 126, 128 and 130. The canister transports operate in amanner later explained, to move documents to and from the storage areasin the canisters.

[0132] It should be appreciated that the various components whichcomprise the gates, transports and storage areas have associated motorsand sensors, all of which are in operative connection with the controlsystem 30 for purposes of sensing and controlling the movement ofdocuments therethrough.

[0133] It should also be noted that in the preferred embodiment of theinvention a dump area generally indicated 132 is provided within thehousing of the machine at the bottom of the remote transport segments.Dump area 132 functions as a receptacle for documents that aredetermined not to be suitable for handling or which are otherwise deemednot suitable for later recovery and dispensing to a customer. In thepreferred embodiment dump area 132 comprises a tray which can be movedoutward on the housing of the machine to facilitate cleaning and removalof documents when the interior of the machine is accessed.

[0134] The operation of the currency recycling automated banking machinewill now be explained through an example of the operative steps andfunctions carried out in connection with a deposit transaction by acustomer. It should be understood that this is only an example of onemanner in which the machine may be operated. Other methods of operationand functions may be achieved based on the programming of the machine.

[0135] The transaction flow for the deposit transaction is shown inFIGS. 64-68. A customer approaching the machine 10 operates thecomponents in the customer interface area 14 to enable operation of themachine. This may include for example insertion of a credit or debitcard and the input of a personal identification number (PIN). Of courseother steps may be required by the customer to identify themselves tothe machine. This may include other modes of operation such as fingerprint identification or biometric type devices. These steps which thecustomer goes through to identify themselves to the machine isrepresented in FIG. 64 by the customer ID sequence which is indicated134.

[0136] After the customer identifies themselves to the machine, themachine is programmed to proceed through the main transaction sequencegenerally indicated 136. This main transaction sequence preferablyprovides the customer with a menu of the various transaction optionsthat are available to be conducted at the machine 10. The transactionflow proceeds in FIG. 64 from a step 138 in which a customer chooses toconduct a deposit transaction which involves the input of documents,such as currency bills or notes.

[0137] When the customer indicates that they intend to make a depositthe machine next executes a step 140. In step 140 an inner gateindicated 142 in FIGS. 4 and 5 moves to block further access to theinterior of the machine from delivery/reject area 60. After the innergate 142 is extended, the program next executes a step 144 in which thefront gate 54 on the machine is moved to uncover opening 52. In thisposition a customer is enabled to insert a stack of documents indicated146 in FIG. 5 into the delivery/reject area 60 between belts 58 and 56.As shown in FIG. 5, belts 58 and 56 may also be run inwardly to help toposition the stack 146 against the inner gate 142.

[0138] As shown in FIG. 6, delivery/receipt sensors 148, 150 arepositioned inside the housing of the machine adjacent to opening 52. Inthe transaction flow, as shown in FIG. 64, a step 152 is executed todetermine if the deposit stack 146 has been moved past the sensors. Adetermination is made at a step 154 as to whether the sensors are clear.If sensors 148 and 150 are not clear, a step 154 is carried out. In step154 efforts are made to clear the sensors. This is done by running thetransport belts 56 and 58 inward at a step 156 and prompting thecustomer at step 158 to input their deposit. A check is then made againto see if the sensors have cleared. Provisions are made in thetransaction flow so that after a number of tries to clear the sensors,the transport belts 56 and 58 are run in reverse to remove anything thathas been input into the machine, and the gate 54 is closed.

[0139] If however the sensors 148 and 150 are clear indicating that astack of documents has been properly inserted, the transaction flowmoves to a step 160 in which the front gate 54 is again closed as shownin FIG. 6. The transaction flow then moves on to a step 162 in which theinner gate 142 is retracted so that the stack 146 can be furtherprocessed in the manner hereafter described.

[0140] The stack is next moved as schematically shown in FIG. 7 from thedelivery/reject area 60 to the unstack area 72. This is accomplished asshown in FIG. 65 by moving a carriage which supports fourth belts 64upwards in the input/output area 50 as shown in FIG. 8. The carriage forbelts 64 is moved upward to engage a carriage supporting belts 62 and 58and to move it upward as well. The carriages move upward until stack 146is sandwiched between belts 56 and 58. This is represented by step 164in FIG. 65. Belts 58 and 56 are then driven to move the stack inwardlytoward the unstack area 72.

[0141] The unstack area 72 is shown in greater detail in FIG. 9. Itincludes transport belts 76 and pick belts 78, which are independentlyoperable by motors or other suitable driving devices. A strip back stop166 is movably positioned in the area between transport belts 76 andbelts 168 on tray 74. It should be understood that belts 76, 78 and 168are arranged to be in intermediate relation when the tray 74 is movedadjacent thereto in a manner described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,481 thedisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0142] Unstack area 72 includes an unstack wall 170. Unstack wall 170includes a plurality of steps 172 thereon, the purpose of which is laterexplained. Unstack wall 170 includes therein a plurality of generallyvertically extending slots (not shown). Tray 74 includes a plurality oftray projections 174 which extend from an upper surface of the tray andinto the slots. Adjacent to pick belt 78 are contact stripper wheelsindicated 176 and non-contact stripper wheels 178, the function of whichis later explained.

[0143] In operation of the machine the stack 146 is moved into theunstack area for unstacking. This is represented by a step 180 in FIG.65. As shown in FIG. 10, in the step of moving the stack 146 into theunstack area, the tray 174 is moved sufficiently away from the transportbelts 76 so that stack 146 may be moved therebetween. The backstop 166is raised to allow entry of the stack. Transport belts 76 and tray belts168 move forward so that stack 146 moves towards unstack wall 170. Inthe preferred form of the invention tray 74 is spring biased upwards andonce stack 146 is moved therebetween the stack is held between belts 168on tray 74 and transport belts 76 and pick belts 78 by the biasing forceacting on the tray.

[0144] As shown in FIG. 11, once the stack 146 moves past the backstop166, the backstop is lowered to be in position behind the stack. Aslater discussed, the backstop is particularly useful when strippingdouble notes which may be picked during the unstack operation. As shownin FIG. 11 belts 78 are further run in the forward direction to movestack 146 towards wall 170. As shown in FIG. 12 when the stack is fullymoved against the wall 170, the steps 172 on the wall tend to splay thesheets in the stack. This splaying of the sheets tends to break thesurface tension between the adjacent sheets and facilitates theseparation of each adjacent sheet from one another. It should be notedthat the steps 172 are configured in a progression so that theengagement of the sheets in the stack 146 with the steps 172 do notinterfere with the movement of tray 74 upward as sheets are removed fromthe stack. This enables tray 74 to apply a continuous upward biasingforce such that the upper most sheet in the stack engages pick belts 78.

[0145] Referring again to the transaction flow in FIG. 65, once thestack has been moved to the unstack position a check is made at a step182 to verify the presence of bills in the unstack area. Assuming thatbills are properly in position the flow then moves to an unstack routineat a step 184. As later explained in detail, the control system 30 ofthe present invention is a novel type control system which facilitatesthe rapid operation of the machine. As represented by phantom step 186the control system operates to perform tasks concurrently. As a result,rather than unstacking a single note in the manner hereafter describedand then waiting for it to be processed, the preferred embodiment of thecontrol system 30 unstacks a note and as soon as that note has left theunstack area, proceeds to unstack another note. This enables providing astream of separated sheets which are concurrently moving in the centraltransport under control of the control system. This greatly speeds theoperation of the machine.

[0146] The operation of the machine in the unstack operation isschematically represented in FIG. 13. As shown therein, the stack 146 inthe unstack area 72 is separated into single sheets which are movedthrough the central transport 70 in the direction of Arrows C. The notesare then selectively directed for reasons later explained by divertgates 90 into either the delivery/reject area 60 or the escrow area 66.

[0147] The operation of the machine to unstack sheets in the unstackarea 72 is explained with reference to FIGS. 14-17. The stack 146 isbiased upwards against the pick belts 78 by the tray 74. The lowerflight of belts 78, which is engaged with the top sheet in the stack, ismoved towards the left in FIG. 14 to pick a sheet 188. As shown in FIG.17 the pick belts 78 are supported on rollers and extend beyond theouter circumference of abutting non-contract stripper wheels 178.Contact stripper wheels 176 are arranged in generally abutting relationopposite the inner two strip belts 78. As the strip belts move to theleft, as shown in FIG. 14, the contact stripper wheels and non-contactstripper wheels 176 and 178 do not move. This serves to keep sheetsother than the top sheet in the stack.

[0148] Referring again to FIG. 14, if the sheet 188 that is moved fromthe stack is a single sheet, this condition is sensed by the doublessensors 80. This means that the sheet is suitable for movement in thecentral transport. The sheet then moves past the doubles sensors 80 intothe vicinity of take away rolls 190, 192. In response to the sheet beingsensed as a single sheet, take away roll 192 moves from the positionshown in phantom to the position shown in solid lines in which whereinit is in engagement with the sheet 188. The take away rolls 192, 190 aredriven in the directions indicated to move the sheet away from thestack. The driving of the take away rolls is timed by the control system30 to assure that sheet 188 is properly spaced a distance from theproceeding unstacked sheet moving through the central transport.

[0149] As shown in FIG. 15 sheet 188 is moved by take away rolls 190 and192 past pre-centering sensors 82. The pre-centering sensors operate ina manner later described to sense the position of the edges of thesheet. The signals from the pre-centering sensors 82 are used by thecontrol system 30 to move a shuttle which is associated with deskewingand centering operations for the sheet. The control system moves theshuttle transversely in the transport path to a position in which it isenabled to catch the moving sheet in the manner that will enable thesheet to be aligned. This is particularly valuable when the sheets whichare removed from the stack are of different sizes.

[0150] It should be understood that while the U.S. has currency which isthe same size for all denominations, other countries use different sizeddocuments for various currency types. It is a fundamental advantage ofthe present invention that the documents inserted by a user need not bearranged so that the documents are all of the same size, nor do thedocuments need to be oriented in any particular direction in order to behandled by the preferred embodiment of the invention. The unstackingmechanism of the preferred embodiment is particularly well adapted tounstacking the sheets having various sizes and which may not necessarilybe positioned so as to be in alignment with the wall 170, particularlyfor the sheets in the middle of the stack 146.

[0151] In the event that a double bill is sensed by doubles sensors 80,the bills can be separated. A double bill is indicated in FIG. 16 bysheets 194 which for purposes of this example, are considered to be twooverlapped sheets. To separate these sheets pick belts 78 are stoppedand tray 74 is moved downward so that the stack 146 is no longer biasedagainst the lower flights of pick belts 78.

[0152] Pick belts 78 are then run backwards such that the lower flightthereof is moved to the right as shown. This pulls sheets 194 back intothe stack. The contact stripper wheels 176 and the non-contact stripperwheels also rotate to facilitate pulling the sheets back into the stack.This is accomplished in the preferred embodiment by having the stripperwheels operated by a one way clutch. The stripper wheels may rotatefreely in the direction shown in FIG. 16, but may not rotate in theopposed direction. The movement of belts 78 pulls the sheets 194 backinto the stack. The strip backstop operates to prevent the sheets frommoving too far and falling out of the stack.

[0153] Once the sheets 194 are returned to the top of the stack the tray74 is again raised and a picking operation is attempted. Generally oneor more repeated attempts to strip the sheets will be successful suchthat sheets are continuously removed from the stack 146 one by one.

[0154] The transaction flow associated with the sensing of doubles andefforts to strip the top sheet are represented in FIG. 65. In a step 196a determination is made as to whether a double has been sensed duringthe unstack routine. If so, the step associated with lowering the stack198 is executed. The pick belts are moved in reverse in a step 200 topull the doubles back into the stack and the stack is then raised at astep 202. As previously discussed, the unstack routine is then startedagain. Of course if doubles are not sensed when a sheet is picked, thesheet moves past the pre-centering sensors 82 and the transverseposition of the note in the transport is sensed at a step 204.

[0155] After a document passes the pre-centering sensors, it then movesto the deskew and aligning device 84. This device is adapted to catch amoving sheet and align its leading edge transversely to the direction oftravel of the sheet in the sheet path. Once the leading edge of thesheet has been transversely aligned the device 84 operates to move thesheet so that its center line is in alignment with the center line ofthe transport path. Doing this enables the document to be more rapidlyidentified for reasons which are later explained.

[0156] As shown in FIG. 20 the deskew and alignment device includes ashuttle indicated 204. The shuttle is comprised of a pair of shuttlehalves 206 and 208. Each shuttle half is connected to a drive shaft 210which operates to move pinch wheels 212 and 214 on the shuttle halves inthe manner hereafter explained. The shuttle 204 is also movabletransversely on drive shaft 210. The shuttle also includes a firstsensor 216 adjacent to shuttle half 206 and a second sensor 218 adjacentto shuttle half 208. The shuttle also includes a middle sensor 220. Thepinch rolls engage a segmented idler shaft 222.

[0157] Referring to FIG. 18, shuttle half 206 is schematically showntherein. The shuttle half includes a solenoid 224. Solenoid 224 isconnected to a movable brake rod 226 which is movable on pins 228. Thepinch wheel 212 revolves around a center pin 230. The center pin 230 ismovably mounted in a slot 232 on the body of the shuttle half 206.

[0158] The drive shaft 210 is a splined type shaft as shown. The shaft210 extends through a drive wheel 234 which is mounted for rotation onthe body of the shuttle half 206.

[0159] As shown in FIG. 18 when the solenoid 224 is not energized thepinch wheel 212 is biased into engagement with the drive wheel 234 by aspring schematically indicated 236. The pinch wheel 212 rotates inresponse to rotation of the drive shaft 210. The rotation of the pinchwheel 212 also engages the independently rotatable segments of thesegmented shaft 222. Documents are enabled to pass through the nipbetween pinch wheels 212 and 222 in response to rotation of pinch roll212 by the drive wheel 234.

[0160] As shown in FIG. 19, when the solenoid 224 is energized the brakerod 226 moves. The movement of the brake rod causes the brake rod toengage pinch wheel 212. As the brake rod engages the pinch wheel, thepinch wheel is displaced from the drive wheel 234 and is prevented frommoving until the solenoid is again de-energized and the brake rod isretracted. As a result, any document that is positioned in the nipbetween pinch roll 212 and segmented shaft 222 when the solenoid isenergized, will be stopped in this position. The documents is preventedfrom moving in the area of the nip until the solenoid is de-energized.

[0161] The operation of the shuttle is schematically indicated in FIGS.21-24. As shown in FIG. 21 a sheet or document 238 is shown moving inthe direction of the arrow in the sheet path. The shuttle is moved priorto arrival of the sheet in a transverse direction on the drive shaft 210so that pinch rolls 212 and 214 will both engage the sheet. This is doneby the control system 30 based on the signals from the pre-centeringsensors 82 which are upstream of the shuttle 204. The shuttle is movedtransversely in the sheet path by a fast acting motor or other suitabledevice.

[0162] In response to the sheet 238 moving into the area adjacent to thepinch rolls, the sensors 216, 218 and 220 sense the sheet. Because thesample sheet 238 is skewed, the sensor adjacent to pinch roll 214 whichis sensor 218, will sense the leading edge of the sheet first. When thisoccurs, the solenoid associated with the shuttle half 208 energizes,stopping movement of pinch roll 214, while roll 212 continues to rotatein response to rotation of shaft 210. As a result, sheet 238 begins torotate about the pinch point 240 created between the stationary roll 214and segmented shaft 222. Sheet 238 moves such that its leading edge 242begins to move into an aligned condition in a direction transverse tothe direction of sheet movement.

[0163] As shown in FIG. 23, sheet 238 rotates about pinch point 240until leading edge 242 is transversely aligned with the sheet path. Whenan aligned condition is reached, the solenoid 224 is energized to stopmovement of pinch roll 212. This produces a second pinch point 244between the note 238 and the idler shaft 222.

[0164] In the stopped condition of the note shown in FIG. 23, theleading edge 242 of the sheet extends in the sheet path beyond centeringsensors, generally indicated 246. The centering sensors are operative tosense the side edges of the sheet indicated 248 and 250 in FIG. 23, in amanner hereinafter described. Upon sensing the side edges the controlsystem 30 determines the position of a center line of the sheet 238.This center line is indicated schematically in FIG. 23 as 252. Theshuttle then moves the sheet transversely in the manner indicated inFIG. 25. The sheet is moved in engaged relation between the pinch rolls212 and 214 and the segmented idler shaft 222. As shown in FIG. 24,sheet 238 is moved to the right such that the sheet center line 252 isin alignment with a center line of the transport path 254.

[0165] Once the sheet has been deskewed in this manner and has beenmoved into a centered relation in the transport path, the solenoidsoperating the pinch rolls 212 and 214 are released simultaneously todischarge the sheet 238 from the shuttle. This is done in the mannerwhich assures that sheet 238 is properly spaced from a preceding sheet.Optimally the sheet is not delayed any longer than is absolutelynecessary to assure that the sheet is properly oriented.

[0166] The schematic view of the components of the centering circuitwhich is used in connection with the centering sensors 246 and thepre-centering sensors 82 is schematically indicated in FIG. 26. In thepreferred embodiment of the invention the sensors 246 are chargedcoupled devices (CCDs) which are used for sensing edges of the sheet. Anemitter is provided on an opposed side of devices for providing aradiation source for sensing the edges of the sheet. Signals from thesensors 246 are transmitter to an amplifier 256. Signals from theamplifier are forwarded to a digitizing comparator 258. The digitizingcomparator is provided with a threshold input from an interface 260.

[0167] A trip point output from the interface 260 is determined by asoftware routine that adjust the threshold input for the presence of anote based on the radiation received by the sensors when no note ispresent. This enables adjusting the sensors for changes during theoperation of the device, such as changes in the intensity of theemitters or accumulation of dirt on the emitters or sensors.

[0168] The output from the digitizing comparator is transmitted to aprogrammable logic device 262. The programmable logic device determinesthe position of the edge of the note and transmits output signals alongwith timer signals to a processor 264. The processor generates signalsin accordance with its programming to move the shuttle to the desiredposition. In the case of the pre-centering sensors, the shuttle is movedto a position to ensure that it encounters the note. In the case of thecentering and deskew operation sensors the shuttle is moved to assurethat the note is moved to align it with the center of the transport. Thetiming signals also track when the leading and trailing edges of thenote encounter the sensors to enable the control system to maintainproper separation of the notes within the central transport. The signalsfrom the sensors 246, as well as those from sensors 216, 218 and 220 onthe shuttle, are used to assure that a note which has been released fromthe shuttle moves away in the proper coordinated fashion.

[0169] The logic flow associated with the deskew and alignmentoperations is shown with reference to the steps shown in FIG. 65. Asindicated by a step 266, the signals from the precenter sensors 82 areused to move the shuttle to assure that it engages the note. A deskewingstep 268 operates in the manner already described to align a leadingedge of the note so that it extends transversely to the direction ofsheet movement in the transport. At a step 270 the center line of thesheet is moved into alignment with the center line of the sheettransport. The sheet having been deskewed and aligned, it is released ata step 272 in a timed manner and continues on its way in the sheet path.

[0170] As shown in FIG. 13, after a document leaves the deskew andalignment device the document moves through the area of the centraltransport where it is sensed by various sensors associated with theidentification device 88. In the preferred form of the invention theidentification device is of a type shown in U.S. patent application Ser.No. 09/633,486 filed Aug. 7, 2000, U.S. Pat. No. 6,101,266, or U.S. Pat.No. 5,923,413 which are incorporated herein by reference. Thisidentification device is suitable for identifying the type anddenomination of a passing document. It also is suitable fordistinguishing genuine documents from suspect documents. An advantage ofthe device used in the preferred embodiment is its ability to identify adocument despite the failure of the document to be in alignment with thesheet path. It should be understood that because of variable conditions,despite efforts made to orient the sheet, sheets may still be somewhatout of alignment at the time of analysis by the identification device.Of course in other embodiments, other devices for identifying sheets maybe used.

[0171] The analysis of the note by the identification device 88 producessignals. These signals may be indicative of the note type anddenomination. Alternatively, the signals may be indicative that the notecannot be satisfactorily identified or are invalid. These signals aretransmitted to the control system 30 which operates the divert gates 90adjacent to the central transport. As shown in FIG. 27, in a preferredembodiment of the invention, documents which cannot be identified with ahigh degree of confidence are routed by gates 90 to the delivery/rejectarea 60 and are supported on second belts 58. Such rejected notes arerepresented in FIG. 27 by a stack 274.

[0172] Identified documents suitable for deposit are routed by divertgate 90 into the escrow area 66 where such notes are supported on belts64. Such identified documents are represented in FIG. 27 by stack 276.It should be understood that the routing of identified sheets to theescrow position 266 is optional depending on the programming of thecontrol system 30 of the machine. Identifiable notes may be directlyrouted to appropriate storage areas for recovery.

[0173] The transaction flow associated with the analysis of thedocuments and routing to the reject/delivery and escrow areas isrepresented in FIG. 66. The analysis of the moving documents isrepresented by a step 278. If the note is properly identified in a step280, a check is next made at a step 282 to determine if the machine isin a deposit mode. If so properly identified notes are routed to storagelocations in the recycling canisters. If the machine is not currently ina deposit mode, which is the case with the example described, properlyidentified notes are routed to the escrow position in a step 284.

[0174] If in step 280 a note is not identifiable or is identified asunacceptable the note is routed to the reject position in a step 286. Ofcourse it should be understood that the unstacking, pre-centering,deskewing, aligning and note identifying steps are all ongoingconcurrently as each document passes through the central transport. Thenotes are continuously being directed to the escrow or reject positionsuntil the stack of notes has been completely unstacked.

[0175] In the operation of the invention of the preferred embodiment,unidentifiable sheets, sheets which are unacceptable and sheets whichappear suspect are returned to the customer from the input/output area50. This is schematically represented in FIG. 28 which shows the rejectstack 274 being delivered to the customer through the opening 52. Thisis normally done by the machine after displaying to the customer,through the interface 14, information on the number of documents whichwere unidentifiable or unacceptable in the deposit stack that theysubmitted. The customer would also be advised of the value of thedocuments that have been properly identified. In alternative embodimentsthe customer may be given the option through an input to the customerinterface to retry the rejected sheets to determine if they can beidentified. If this occurs, the machine may be programmed to run thereject stack 274 back through the central transport in the mannerpreviously done with the deposited stack. This is a matter of choice inthe programming of the machine and depends on the preferences of theoperator of the machine.

[0176] Assuming that the reject stack 274 is to be returned to thecustomer, the reject stack is delivered to the customer in the mannerindicated in FIG. 29. The inner gate 142 is extended while the carriagesupporting belts 64 are raised so that stack 276 engages the carriagesupporting belts 62 and 58. Belts 58 are raised such that the rejectstack engages belts 56. As reject stack 274 is sandwiched between belts56 and 58 the gate 54 is opened. The reject stack 274 is moved by belts56 and 58 out through opening 52 in the housing of the machine. Thedelivery and receipt sensors 148, 150 adjacent to opening 52 areoperative to sense movement of the stack.

[0177] The transaction flow associated with the delivery of the rejectstack to the customer is represented in FIG. 66. In a step 288, adetermination is made as to whether notes are present in a reject stackafter all the sheets have been unstacked and passed through the centraltransport. If so, the reject stack is moved to the delivery position instep 290. The inner gate is closed in a step 292, as shown in FIG. 29.The front gate is then opened at a step 294 and the belts are driven todeliver the reject stack to the customer at a step 296.

[0178] As shown in FIG. 67, the customer may then be prompted to takethe reject stack at a step 298. This is done through the customerinterface. The sensors 148 and 150 are then monitored at a step 300 anda decision is made at a step 302 as to whether the reject sheets havebeen taken. If the sheets have been taken the front gate 54 of themachine is closed at a step 304 and the inner gate is retracted at astep 306.

[0179] As previously discussed, in the described embodiment of theinvention the customer is required to take the reject sheets. Thereforeif at step 302 the customer has not taken the sheets, the transport isoperated to push the sheets out the opening 52 in a step 308. After thetransport has been run sufficiently to push the sheets out, the frontgate is closed.

[0180] In alternative embodiments of the invention the customer may havethe option of having the reject stack retried to determine if thedocuments can be identified. In other alternative embodiments themachine may be programmed not to return unidentifiable or rejectedsheets to the customer. This may be done for purposes such as to preventpotentially counterfeit sheets from being placed back in circulation. Ifthe machine is programmed in this manner the reject stack 274 may bemoved in the manner shown in FIG. 30 back into the unstack area of themachine for a further pass through the central transport. In this secondpass the sheets may either be again returned to the reject area if theycannot be identified; placed in the escrow area if they may beidentified; or alternatively, passed into a storage location in therecycling canisters or dump area 132 for later analysis. Because thepreferred embodiment of the present invention is capable of trackingindividual sheets which are passed through the machine, it is possiblefor the machine to track where particular sheets originated based ontheir storage location and position within a storage location.

[0181] Returning to the operation of the described embodiment, the stack276 held in the escrow position is now moved upward in the input/outputarea as indicated in FIG. 31. At this point the customer may have theoption of receiving the identifiable sheets that they have depositedback. This may be done for example if the customer does not agree withthe count of the sheets by the machine. This may be accomplished byprogramming the machine so that the customer can obtain return of thedocuments in escrow by an appropriate input to the interface.

[0182] If the machine is programmed to deposit the identified documentsheld in escrow, the machine moves the document stack 276 in a mannershown in FIG. 31. Alternatively, the escrow stack will be moved in themanner shown in FIG. 31 if the machine requires a customer input todeposit the escrow documents and such an input is given through thecustomer interface.

[0183] When the escrow stack 276 is to be deposited in the machine, belt64 is raised to the position shown in FIG. 32 and the escrow stack 276is sandwiched between belts 62 and 64. The belts are then driven to movethe escrow stack 276 into the unstack area of the machine in the mannerpreviously described.

[0184] The operation of the drive rolls and movable belt carriages ofthe input/output area 50 are described in greater detail in FIGS. 33 and34. The carriage associated with belts 64 is moved upward and downwardby a driving mechanism. The carriage supporting belts 62 and 58 is freefloating but is restricted in the degree to which it may move downward.The carriage supporting belts 56 may rotatably conform to the positionof an adjacent stack but is generally prevented from moving downward.This configuration minimizes the complexity of the input/outputmechanism.

[0185] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the carriagesupporting belts 64, 62 and 68 are guided to move vertically by a firstguide/drive shaft 310 and a second guide/drive shaft 312. Theguide/drive shafts not only extend generally vertically, but also aresplined shafts that are rotatable by suitable transmission mechanisms inthe directions shown. Movable journal guide blocks 314 and 316 aremovable vertically on shaft 310. Each journal guide block represented byguide block 314 in FIG. 33 includes bevel gears 318. The bevel gearsoperate to transmit rotational motion from the guide/drive shaft 310 toshafts 320 and 322. Shafts 320, 322 include rollers upon which belts 56and 58 are supported respectively.

[0186] Journal guide blocks 324 and 326 are movable on shaft 312. Asindicated in FIG. 33 by journal guide block 324, the journal guide blockincludes bevel gears 328 which operate to transmit rotational motion ofthe drive/guide shaft 312 to shafts 330 and 332. Belts 62 and 64 aresupported on rolls which are driven by shafts 330 and 332 respectively.

[0187] As should be appreciated, this arrangement for driving the beltsin the input/output area reduces complexity compared to otherarrangements. This arrangement also increases flexibility forselectively positioning stacks of documents.

[0188] Returning to the sample transaction flow with the escrow stack276 in the position shown in FIG. 31, the transaction flow proceeds inthe manner indicated in FIG. 67. As indicated in a step 334, the escrowstack is moved upwards so that it is in a position to either bedelivered to the customer or to be moved back into the unstack position.The customer operating the machine is then prompted at a step 336 toindicate whether they wish to have the escrow stack returned to them orto deposit the amount in the escrow stack into the machine. As indicatedby a step 338, if the customer chooses to have the stack returned ratherthan deposited, the machine proceeds to return the stack to thecustomer.

[0189] The process of returning the stack is indicated through thetransaction flow represented in FIG. 68. At this point in thetransaction flow the escrow stack 276 is adjacent to opening 52, and maybe readily delivered to the customer. The inner gate is closed at a step340 and the front gate is opened at a step 342. Belts 62 and 64 are thendriven to move the escrow stack outward to present it to the customer ata step 344. A determination is made at a step 346 whether the customerhas taken the stack. This is based on signals from the sensors 148 and150. If the escrow stack is sensed as taken the machine returns to themain ATM transaction sequence at a step 348.

[0190] If the customer does not take the stack, steps are executed toencourage the customer to take the stack, or to retract it into themachine. If the stack is not sensed as taken in step 346, the customeris prompted through the interface of the machine at a step 350 to takethe stack. If the stack is now sensed as taken, a step 352 returns themachine to the main sequence. If however the stack is still not taken,the transaction flow proceeds through steps 354 and 356 in which thestack is recovered and stored, and an irregular transaction is noted.This may occur for example by retracting the stack into the machine,closing the gate, and then passing the stack through the centraltransport to one of the storage areas.

[0191] Alternative forms of the invention may provide for crediting thecustomer's account for amounts which they indicated they wished to havereturned but did not take. If the machine is programmed to operate inthis manner the documents in the escrow stack will be stored accordingto their type and denomination in the various storage areas in therecycling canisters. Alternatively, the documents in the escrow stackmay be stored separately in one of the storage areas. The machine may beprogrammed to allow the customer to return at a later time and obtainthe documents in the escrow stack. This may be valuable for example ifthe customer forgets to take the stack or is distracted while performingtheir transaction.

[0192] In most cases when a customer has deposited documents in themachine, they will choose to have the funds credited to their account.As a result, in the transaction flow at step 338 they will indicatethrough the customer interface that they wish to make a deposit. Thetransaction flow moves through a step 358 in which the machine is set todeposit mode. Thereafter the escrow stack 276 is moved to the unstackarea at a step 360. This is done in the manner previously described forthe deposited stack.

[0193] As shown schematically in FIG. 35, the escrow stack will now beunstacked in the manner previously discussed. However, now instead ofthe unstacked bills being routed by the divert gate 90 to the escrowarea and delivery/reject area, the bills are selectively routed downwardin the machine as shown, to the various storage areas in the recyclingcanisters. During this operation each of the unstacked bills is againidentified by the bill identification apparatus 88. The identificationof the bill type is used to selectively route each document to thestorage area where documents of that type are stored. It should also beunderstood that the internal memory of the machine is preferablyprogrammed to record the type of document held in the escrow stack andto compare the document type determination made in the initial pass tothe type determination made in the second pass. In the event of an erroror inconsistency, the divert gate 90 may be used to route any irregulardocuments to the delivery/reject area 60 instead of moving them downinto a storage location in the machine.

[0194] As can be appreciated with the transaction flow beginning at step358 in FIG. 67, the escrow stack undergoes the unstacking processpreviously described in connection with steps 184, 196 and 204. Eachnote is also deskewed and centered with regard to the transport path andthen released.

[0195] The note undergoes analysis in the manner discussed in connectionwith step 278 and if the note is properly identified in step 280, thetransaction flow moves to a step 262 when the machine is in the depositmode. In step 262 each note is dispatched to an appropriate storagelocation. Notes are moved through this central transport in thedirection of Arrows “D” shown in FIG. 35. Each note is then routed to anappropriate storage location at a step 264. It should be appreciatedthat notes are moving concurrently toward different storage locationsunder the control of the control system. FIG. 35 shows an example of anote being deposited in storage area 102. It should be understoodhowever that notes may be moved into numerous storage areas during thedeposit process.

[0196] The notes in the stack 276 continue to be unstacked until thestack is determined to be depleted at a step 266. Assuming that no noteshave been rejected during the deposit process, the transaction flow maythen return to the main ATM transaction sequence at a step 268. Thecustomer may be provided with a receipt for their deposit and maycontinue with other transactions.

[0197] In the operation of the central transport 70 there are places inwhich moving notes must undergo generally 180 degree turns. One exampleof this is indicated by transport section 370 which is shown in FIG. 35.In transport section 370, documents that have been aligned in thetransport path have their direction reversed so that they can be passedadjacent to the identification device 88. Transport section 370 requiresthat the bills be transported accurately and maintain their spacedaligned relation. The documents are also preferably not crumpled orotherwise distorted, as this may adversely impact their ability to beidentified in the following section. More details regarding transportsection 370 are shown in FIGS. 36-38.

[0198] Transport section 370 includes a plurality of belts 372. Thesebelts in the preferred embodiment are V-type belts that engage drivingand idling rolls 374, 376 and 378. In the preferred form of theinvention the “V” cross section of belts 372 is pointed radially inwardas the belt passes rolls 374, 376 and 378.

[0199] As belts 372 move between rolls 374 and 376 they are supported oncarriage rolls 380. The carriage rolls 380 support the belt in a mannersuch that the “V” section is pointed away from the carriage rolls. Aflat top surface of each belt is positioned adjacent to an annulardimple 382 on the outer circumference of each carriage roll. Carriagerolls 380 are also spaced from one another. Guides 384 which generallyhave a somewhat lesser diameter than the carriage rolls are positionedin between. An example of a guide 384 is shown in greater detail in FIG.37.

[0200] When a note 386 passes through transport section 370 it is heldbetween the flat surfaces of belt 372 and dimples 382 of the carriagerolls as shown in FIG. 38. The notes move around the carriage rollswithout being skewed or distorted. When the notes are passed to the areaadjacent to roll 376 projections 388 on the guides urge the note awayfrom engagement with the carriage rolls and in the desired direction.

[0201] This configuration is used in a preferred embodiment of theinvention as it has been found that notes may generally be transportedthrough the transport section 370 without adversely impacting theiraligned and separated relation. The ability to turn the note path 180degrees also greatly reduces the overall size of the automated bankingmachine.

[0202] As shown in FIG. 35 notes which are passed through the centraltransport 70, and which are moved to storage areas within the machine,pass downward through the central transport through remote transportsegments 108, 110, 112 and 114. These remote transport segments operateas part of a remote transport. The remote transport segments arevertically aligned in the preferred embodiment so as to enable documentsto be selectively transported between the transport segments. Thetransport segments also enable documents to be selectively directedeither through the transport segments or into or out of the adjacentcanister transports, one of which is positioned adjacent to eachtransport segment. The selective directing of documents is achievedthrough use of a media gate associated with each transport segment whichis operated under the control of the control system 30.

[0203] An example of a transport segment used in a preferred embodimentof the invention is indicated by transport segment 110 shown in FIG. 39.Transport segment 110 includes a plurality of spaced belt supportingrolls 390, 392. Each of the rolls support a belt 394 thereon (see FIG.44). An inner flight 396 of each belt 394 is positioned adjacent to afirst sheet supporting surface 398 and a second sheet supporting surface400. The sheet supporting surfaces each include a plurality of spacedraised projections or dimples thereon. These raised projections serve tobreak surface tension and minimize the risk of documents stickingthereon.

[0204] The principles of operation of transport segment 110 as well asthe canister transport used in the preferred embodiment, can beappreciated with reference to FIGS. 45 and 46. The transports operate byholding documents in engaged relation between an outer surface of a beltflight and projections which extend toward the belt flight from anadjacent supporting surface. In the example shown in FIG. 45, beltflights 402 extend adjacent to a supporting surface 404. Projections 406extend transversely between the belt flights from the supportingsurface. A document 408 which is engaged between the belt flights andthe supporting surface is biased by the projections 406 to remainengaged with the belt flights. This enables movement of the belt flightsto accurately move the document 408 in engaged relation therewith.

[0205] Returning to FIG. 39, projections 410 extend from first sheetsupporting surface 398. Projections 410 are generally segmentedprojections and include tapered leading and trailing edges to minimizethe risk of documents snagging thereon. Idler rolls 412 and 416 are alsojournaled on and in supporting connection with the member which includessheet supporting surface 398. Idler rolls 412 and 416 are generallypositioned in aligned relation with inner flights 396 and perform afunction which is later explained.

[0206] Each remote transport segment has a canister transport adjacentthereto. In the case of transport segment 110, canister transport 126extends adjacent thereto as shown in FIG. 1. Canister transport 126includes a pair of spaced belt supporting rolls 418, only one of whichis shown in FIG. 39. Rolls 418 support belts 420 which include lowerflights 422. Lower flights 422 extend adjacent to a supporting surface424 which includes dimpled projections thereon of the type previouslydiscussed. Projections 426 extend from supporting surface 424 betweenthe belts and are generally parallel thereto. This structure enablesdocuments to be transported in engaged relation between the projections426 and the belt flights 422 in the manner previously described.

[0207] As shown in FIG. 44 the rolls 418 of the canister transports androlls 390 of the remote transport segments are arranged in transverselyintermediate relation, similar to the manner in which the projections onthe supporting surface are positioned transversely intermediate of thebelt flights. This assures that documents can be passed between thetransport segments in controlled relation in the manner hereinafterdescribed.

[0208] Each of the remote transport segments include a media gate whichis selectively operable to direct documents in desired directions. Inthe case of transport segment 110 the media gate associated therewith isgate 118. Gate 118 includes a plurality of movable arms 428. The armsare engaged to move together and are selectively movable about an axisof rolls 390. Each arm 428 has a roll 430 movably mounted thereon. Eachroll 430 which serves as a diverter roll, is positioned in alignmentwith a corresponding inner belt flight 396.

[0209] The operation of the remote transport segment and media gate willnow be explained with reference to FIGS. 39-43. As shown in FIG. 39,when the diverter roll 430 of the gate 118 is disposed from the beltflights 396, a document 432 is enabled to pass directly through theremote transport segment. Although the document 432 is shown as movingupward in FIG. 39, it should be understood that documents may be moveddownward as well. Likewise documents may be moved downward and thenupward in the remote transport segment.

[0210]FIG. 40 shows a document 434 moving in a downward direction whilethe diverter roll 430 of the gate 118 is extended. In this condition thedocument 434 is directed toward the nip created by belt flights 422 andprojections 426 of the canister transport 126. As a result, moving thebelt flights 420 in the direction shown as the media gate is actuatedtransfers the document into a canister transport path along which it iscarried by the canister transport. As can be appreciated from FIG. 40,when the gate 118 is actuated belt flight 396 is deformed. Idler roll416 supports the belt flight in the deformed position to preventexcessive wear as a result of friction.

[0211]FIG. 41 shows a document 436 being moved from the canistertransport to the remote transport segment 110. In the position shown themedia gate 118 operates to direct document 436 towards the remotetransport segment 108 positioned above remote transport section 110 (seeFIG. 35) and towards the central transport.

[0212]FIG. 42 shows the gate 118 in a condition that directs a document438 from the canister transport 126 downward into the remote transportsegment 110. As will be appreciated from the foregoing discussion, thepreferred embodiment of the invention enables moving documents from onestorage area to another. This function is enabled by the control systemof the machine moving documents from storage areas in canisters wherethey have been stored to storage areas in canisters either above orbelow the storage canister in the machine.

[0213]FIG. 43 shows a document 440 moving upward in the remote transportsegment 110 and being directed by the gate 118 into the canistertransport 126. The ability to move or convey the documents in the mannershown in FIGS. 39-43 greatly facilitates the ability of the preferredembodiment of the present invention to store and recover documents. Aswill be appreciated from the foregoing Figures, the gate mechanisms mayalso be used to selectively orient documents. This may be desirable,particularly when it is desired to provide customers with documentsuniformly oriented in a stack. This may be accomplished by re-orientingthe documents prior to storage based on the orientation of each documentas determined by the identification device 88. However as discussedpreviously, the present invention does not require documents to beoriented in any particular way for satisfactory operation.

[0214] The storage of documents in a storage location is now describedwith reference to FIGS. 47-53. For purposes of this illustration,storage of a document in storage area 102, as shown in FIG. 35, will bediscussed. However it should be understood that the followingdescription is generally applicable to the storage of documents in anyof the storage areas available in the machine of the preferredembodiment.

[0215] Referring to FIG. 47, storage area 102 is shown from the top.Belt flights 422 of the canister transport 26 extend above a bin door442. Bin door 442 is movably mounted above storage area 102. Bin door442 includes a supporting surface 444 which supports notes or otherdocuments moving thereon to and from adjacent storage areas. Supportingsurface 444 includes dimpled projections which serve to reduce surfacetension and sticking of documents that move thereon.

[0216] Bin door 442 includes projections 446 which engage passingdocuments and maintain the documents in engagement with belts 422. Apair of openings 448 are in aligned relation with projections 446.Openings 448 provide access for thumper wheels which are laterdiscussed. As can be seen in FIG. 47 projections 446 are taperedadjacent to openings 448 to minimize the risk of documents stickingthereon. Bin door 442 also includes a plurality of rollers 450. Rollers450 are positioned in aligned relation with belts 422. Rollers 450engage the belts and facilitate movement of the belts when the bin door442 is opened to accept a document in a manner that is later described.

[0217] Bin door 442 also includes a central opening 452. Opening 452 issized to accept a pair of closely spaced thumper wheels 454 therein. Thecentral thumper wheels 454 are similar in construction to outboardthumper wheels 456 which extend through openings 448. Central opening452 is also sized to accept feed wheels 458 and 460 which are positionedadjacent to the front of the bin door 442 covering storage area 102. Thefeed wheels 458 and 460 are connected to thumper wheels 454 by a feedbelt 462.

[0218] Is should be understood that thumper wheels 454 and 456, as wellas feed wheels 458 and 460, are supported on a surface positionedadjacent to and vertically above bin door 442. The feed wheels andthumper wheels are preferably supported on the housing of the machine,whereas storage area 102 and bin door 442 are supported on recyclingcanister 94. The recycling canister may be removed from the machine whenthe feed wheels and the thumper wheels are positioned so they do notextend through opening 452.

[0219] Bin door 442 also includes a sensor 464. Sensor 464 is an opticalreceiver type sensor that receives signals from an opto-emitter devicewhich is positioned in the machine adjacent to and above sensor 454 whenthe canister 94 is in its operative position. Sensor 464 is inconnection with the control circuitry of the machine.

[0220] The steps involved in storing a note in storage area 102 is nowdescribed with reference to FIGS. 48-53. Storage area 102 holds a stack466 of documents. Stack 466 is preferably a plurality of horizontallyoriented documents which are supported on a push plate 468. Push plate468 is biased upwards by a spring or similar mechanism. The stack isheld at its upper end by a plurality of transversely spaced frontfingers 470 and back fingers 472. The front fingers and back fingers aremovable in the manner hereinafter discussed.

[0221] Bin door 442 includes an inner surface 474 which includes aplurality of downward extending projections with recesses therebetween.In the position of fingers 470 and 472, inward facing projections 476,478 adjacent the upper ends of the fingers 470 and 472 respectively,extend above the stack and are movable in the recesses of the innersurface of the bin door. These inward extending projections 476 and 478of fingers 470 and 472 hold the top of the stack in captured relation inthe positions shown in FIG. 48.

[0222] In FIG. 48 a document 480 is shown as it moves toward the storagearea 402. In this position prior to arrival of the document, the feedwheels and thumper wheels are positioned above the supporting surface444 of the bin door. Take away wheels 482 which are movably mounted onthe canister 94 which includes storage area 102, are moved to a positiondisposed away from the feed wheels 458 and 460.

[0223] Upon arrival of the document 480 at the storage area 102 the bindoor 442 rises upward in a front area adjacent to a front surfacethereof. The take away rolls 482 move upward while the feed wheels 458and 460 engage and move the document into the storage area 102. Fingers470 and 472 also move the upper surface of the stack downward againstthe biasing force which is applied upward by the push plate 468. Thisenables document 480 to move into the storage area above the inwardprojections of the fingers.

[0224]FIG. 50 shows the configuration of the feed wheels and take awaywheels as document 480 is moved into the storage area. In this conditionthe feed wheels 458 and 460 engage document 480 as do the take awaywheels 482, so that the document may be driven into the storage area. Asshown in FIG. 50 a stripper roll 484, the operation of which is laterdiscussed in detail, remains disposed away from the feed belt 462 as thedocument 480 enters the storage area.

[0225] As shown in FIG. 51 document 480 enters the storage area 102above the stack 466. Fingers 470 and 472 are then moved outwardly asshown in FIG. 51.

[0226] As shown in FIG. 52, eventually fingers 470 and 472 are movedoutwardly a sufficient distance to release the stack 466 so it movesupwardly in response to the biasing force on the push plate 468. As aresult, document 480 is integrated into the stack as the bin door 442moves downward to its original position. When the bin door is moveddownwardly the inward extending projections on the fingers 472 and 470are in aligned relation with the recesses on the inside surface of thebin door.

[0227] From the positions shown in FIG. 52, fingers 470 and 472 moveinwardly to again capture the top surface of the stack which nowincludes document 480. The take away wheels 482 are again retracteddownward and storage area 102 is again ready to receive furtherdocuments for storage therein.

[0228] As will be appreciated from the foregoing discussion, mechanismsin addition to those shown are used to move the bin door fingers andwheels of the invention. These mechanisms may include conventionalmotors and other mechanisms and linkages suitable for use in moving thecomponents in the manner described. Such conventional components are notshown herein to promote clarity and facilitate understanding of theoperation of the invention.

[0229] It should be understood that when one or more documents arerouted into a storage location in the machine, the storage locationwhere the particular document(s) are to be stored undergoes thedescribed series of steps. While the series of operations for thestorage location has been described as receiving documents and thenintegrating them into the stack in the storage location one document ata time, it should be understood that the mechanisms in the storage areasmay optimally be configured so that a plurality of documents may becollected in the storage area above the fingers and then the fingers andbin door moved to integrate the plurality of documents into the stack.Such a configuration may be used to optimize the speed of operation ofthe automated banking machine. It should be further understood thatwhile the mechanism for storing documents in the storage areas isexemplary, other mechanisms which store such documents may be used inalternative embodiments of the invention.

[0230] The operation of machine 10 is now described with regard to atransaction in which documents are retrieved from storage areas in themachine and dispensed to a customer. This is represented schematicallyin FIG. 54. In a dispensing operation, documents will generally beremoved from a plurality of storage locations and moved concurrentlyunder the control of control system 30 to the escrow area 66. As shownschematically in FIG. 54, each of the documents removed from a storagearea is moved from the respective canister transport to the adjacentremote transport segment and directed upward by the gate to the centraltransport. In the central transport the documents each pass theidentification device 88. The type and character of the document isagain determined prior to being dispensed to the customer. The flow ofdocuments during this dispensing (document recovery) operation isrepresented by Arrows “E” in FIG. 54. Of course as can be appreciatedfrom the foregoing discussion, if at any time in the processing ofdocuments which are to be provided to a customer, an improper orunidentifiable document is found, it may be routed to thedelivery/reject area 60 for reprocessing or return into the machine.

[0231] The recovery of documents from a storage area is represented bythe sequence of operations shown in FIGS. 55-61 in connection withstorage area 102. For purposes of clarity and simplicity document 480,which was previously deposited at the top of the stack 466, will bedispensed in this exemplary sequence of events.

[0232] As shown in FIG. 55 in the initial position of storage area 102,bin door 442 is disposed downward. The inward projections of the fingers470 and 472 extend in the recesses in the inner surface 474 of the bindoor. The fingers along with the inner surface of the bin door retainthe top of the stack which is bounded by document 480. The stack 466 isbiased upwardly by spring action of push plate 468.

[0233] In the next step in dispensing the document, the fingers 470 and472 are moved outward relative to the stack. This enables document 480at the upper surface of the stack 466 to be fully engaged with the innersurface 474 of the bin door 422.

[0234] As next shown in FIG. 57 the front of the bin door 422 is movedupward. The take away wheels 482 are moved upward to engage the feedwheels 458 and 460 (see FIG. 59). Likewise stripper roll 484 is movedupward to engage feed belt 462.

[0235] It should be noted with regard to FIG. 59 that feed wheel 460includes an inner portion which has a high friction segment 486 thereon.High friction segment 486 comprises a band of resilient material thatextends part way circumferentially about the inner portion of the wheel.Feed wheel 458 has a similar high friction segment 488 thereon. The highfriction segments provide gripping engagement with a top document in thestack when the feed wheels are positioned to place the high frictionsegments in engagement with the top document.

[0236] It should further be understood that stripper roll 484 includes aone way clutch type mechanism. This one way clutch mechanism enables thestripper roll to rotate in a manner which allows a document to readilymove into the storage area 102. The clutch associated with stripper roll484 is oriented to resist movement of documents out of the storage area.In this manner the stripper roll 484 generally strips all but thedocument at the very top of the stack and prevents other documents fromleaving the storage area. This is achieved because the high frictionsegments provide greater force moving the single document outward thanthe resistance applied by the stripper roll.

[0237] As is also shown in FIGS. 57 and 59, thumper wheels 454 and 456include an outward extending portion. These outward extending portionsare aligned so that all of the extending portions extend through therespective openings in the bin door simultaneously. As is shown in FIG.59 these extending portions are generally in arcuate alignment with thehigh friction segments on the feed wheels.

[0238] As shown in FIG. 58 to pick a document the feed wheels andthumper wheels are rotated so that the extending portions of the thumperwheels and the high friction segments of the feed wheels engage document480 at the top of stack 466. The action of the thumper wheels, feedwheels, take away wheels and stripper roll, operate to separate document480 from the stack and move it outwardly from the storage area as shownin FIG. 58. The preferred embodiment of the apparatus is generally sizedso that a single rotation of the feed wheels and thumper wheels issufficient to remove a document from the storage area. Once the documentis removed from the storage area the bin door 442 is again closed andthe take away wheels and stripper roll moved so as to be retracted fromthe canister. The fingers 470 and 472 are moved upward and then inwardto again engage the top of the stack.

[0239] As document 480 is removed from storage area 102 thetransmissivity of light through the document is sensed. The transmissionof light through the document is sensed by a sensor 490 which is similarto sensor 464 and is positioned on the bin door or other structurecovering the storage area or otherwise in front of storage area 102.Emitter 492 mounted on the machine emits sufficient light so that it canbe determined if a double note has been removed from the stack.

[0240] Emitter 492 and sensor 490 are connected to the control systemwhich is programmed to recognize when a double document has been pickedfrom the storage area. The machine may operate in a number of ways todeal with this occurrence. If the document has been removed entirelyfrom the stack, the document may be reversed in direction and depositedback into the stack. Then an attempt made to again remove it.Alternatively, in an attempted second picking operation the feed wheelsmay be oscillated back and forth as the note is being picked to minimizethe possibility that two notes will be removed together. This may bedone automatically in some conditions where documents are known to havea particularly high affinity or surface tension which makes themdifficult to separate.

[0241] Finally, in the event that repeated attempts to pick a singlenote from the storage area are unsuccessful, the machine may operate toroute the picked document(s) to another storage area or to the dump area132. The machine may then proceed to pick a next note from the stack.The programming of the machine 10 is preferably established to minimizethe delay associated when a picking problem is encountered.

[0242] After the document 480 has been successfully removed from thestorage area 102 it is transported to the remote transport segment 110and is routed by the gate 118 toward the central transport. Document 480along with other documents passes the identification device 88 whichconfirms the identity of each document. The documents are deposited inthe escrow area 66 where an escrow stack 494 is accumulated. Thereafteras schematically represented in FIG. 62, escrow stack 494 is movedupwardly in the input/output area 50 of the machine. Gate 54 is openedand the stack is delivered to the customer through opening 52.

[0243] The transaction flow executed by the control system for carryingout the operations of the machine in a withdrawal transaction isrepresented in FIG. 69 and 70. As is the case with the deposittransaction, the machine first goes through a customer identificationsequence represented by a step 134 in which the customer operating themachine is identified. This customer ID sequence is not executed whenthe customer has operated the machine to conduct a prior transaction.After the customer has identified themselves, the machine goes throughthe main ATM transaction sequence 136, as previously described.

[0244] The customer next indicates at a step 496 through the customerinterface that they wish to conduct a withdrawal transaction. The amountof the withdrawal is then received by the machine based on customerinputs at a step 498. At a step 500 the machine operates to determine ifthe amount of the withdrawal that the customer has requested isauthorized by the programming of the machine and/or the programming of acomputer which is in communication with the machine. If not, the machinereturns to the main sequence and provides instructions to the customer.

[0245] If the amount of the withdrawal is authorized, the control systemof the machine looks up the storage locations of the various billdenominations at a step 502, and calculates a bill mix to be provided tothe customer at a step 504. It should be noted that in some embodimentsof the invention, which are intended to be used primarily by commercialcustomers, the customer may be allowed to select the mix ofdenominations of bills that the customer will receive. This is done bythe control system using programmed prompts displayed on the customerinterface. The customer inputs through the customer interface thequantity of each bill type they desire. If however the machine does notprovide that option or the customer does not provide a specificdenomination selection, the machine will operate to determine the numberof various types of bills that it has available and will provide billsto the customer in denominations which will minimize the probabilitythat the machine will run out of bills of any particular type.

[0246] The machine next proceeds to a step 506 in which the controlsystem operates to pick notes from the various storage areas. Asindicated by phantom step 508, the picking operations are executedconcurrently in the preferred embodiment of the invention. Multiplebills may be picked from the various storage locations and moved as astream of separated notes through the remote transport segments and intothe central transport of the machine.

[0247] For each picking operation, after the note is picked a step 510is executed to sense for double notes having been picked from a storagelocation. If a double is sensed at a step 512 the note is retracted at astep 514 and an effort is again made to pick a single note. If howeverin step 512 a single bill is sensed the bill is released in a step 516.In step 516 the note is released in coordinated relation with the othernotes by the control system to assure that each note reaches the centraltransport of the machine in spaced relation with the other notes.However the spacing is such that the notes move concurrently and aredelivered into the escrow location at high speed.

[0248] An analysis of each passing note is done by the identificationdevice 88 which is indicated at a step 518. If the note is recognized asproper at a step 520, the note is routed to the escrow area 66 at a step522. If the note is not recognized in step 520 or is improper, it isrouted to delivery/reject area 60 in a step 524. The failure to identifya note which has come from a storage location is an unusual event. Thisis because each stored note has usually been twice previouslyidentified. Problems may arise when the note was loaded into thecanister outside the machine. If a note is rejected, the transactionflow proceeds to an error recovery step 526. This error recovery programmay include routing the note back through the central transport to adesignated storage location for later analysis.

[0249] Notes are delivered into the escrow area until all the noteswhich respond to the withdrawal request by the customer have beendelivered. The completion of the delivery is checked at a step 528. Acheck is then made at a step 530 to determine if all the notes that havebeen delivered have been properly identified. If not and there are notesin the reject area, the error recovery step 526 is executed.

[0250] If however the notes have all been properly identified the escrowstack corresponding to stack 494 in FIG. 62 is moved to the deliveryposition in a step 532. The inner gate is then closed at a step 534. Thefront gate is opened at a step 536 and the transport belts move todeliver the notes to the customer at a step 538.

[0251] At a step 540 a determination is made based on reading fromsensors 148 and 150 as to whether the stack of notes has been taken bythe customer. If so, the front gate is closed at a step 542. Thetransaction flow then returns to the main ATM sequence at a step 544.

[0252] If however the notes are not taken by the customer routines maybe executed to prompt the customer through the customer interface toremove the notes. However if the customer does not take the notes, thenstep 546 is executed to retract the notes into the machine. The frontgate is closed at a step 548 and the machine then proceeds to the errorrecovery routine. This may include for example storing the notes in aparticular storage location. Alternatively it may involve reversing thewithdrawal transaction requested by the customer and placing the notesagain back in the various storage areas by running them through thecentral transport.

[0253] An advantage of the preferred embodiment of the present inventionis its ability to operate at high speeds. This is achieved through thearchitecture of the control system 30 which is schematically representedin FIG. 63. The preferred embodiment of the system uses a control systemwhich includes a terminal processor (TP) 548. The terminal processorexecutes the general programming of the machine as well as the stepsnecessary for operation of the communication and other functions thatthe machine carries out. As indicated in FIG. 63, terminal processor 548is in operative connection with a data store which includes program andother data. Terminal processor 548 is in communication throughappropriate interfaces with various hardware devices 550.

[0254] Terminal processor 548 is also in operative communication with amodule processor (MP) 552. Module processor 552 orchestrates theoperations carried out by the plurality of module controllers (MC) 554,556, 558, 560, 562 and 564. As indicated, module processor 552 is alsoin operative connection with its own respective data store which holdsits programming and other data. Likewise each of the module controllerspreferably include data storage for various programmed operations anddata. The module processor 552 is operatively connected to each of themodule controllers through a data bus 566. The module controllers eachcommunicate through the data bus only with the module processor 552, andthe module processor communicates directly with each module controller.Each module controller has associated therewith hardware devicesschematically indicated 567. Each module controller has associatedtherewith its own respective types of hardware devices which it isresponsible for operating and controlling. In some embodiments of theinvention each module controller includes a single processor referred toas a Module Controller Processor (MCP). However in other embodimentseach module controller may include multiple processors (MCP's).Similarly, multiple processors may be used in other embodiments for theTP and/or the MP.

[0255] In operation of the system each module controller executesprograms to carry out particular tasks associated with each hardwaredevice that is connected to it. This may be for example a particularfunction associated with moving a mechanism or a document. These tasksare coordinated with other tasks being executed by the module controllerconcerning other hardware devices. The movement of documentsconcurrently however is coordinated by the module processor 552operating to send the control signals to the various module controllers,so that document handling functions are carried out in a timed andcoordinated manner. The terminal processor 548 controls the operation ofthe module processor to carry out the particular transactions which areindicated by the terminal programming. As a result of thisconfiguration, documents are enabled to be handled concurrently, yetindependently throughout the machine which greatly speeds the operationof storing and retrieving documents.

[0256] Terminal processor 548 runs programs stored in its associatedmemory which enable the ATM 10 to communicate with external devices andsystems. This includes host computers operated by a bank or otherfinancial institution which operates the ATM. The terminal processoralso communicates with sensors and other devices in the ATM thatinterface with the user of the machine. This includes for example thedisplay 16, and input devices such as keypad 18 and card reader 20. Theterminal processor also communicates and controls the operation ofdevices such as printers and depositories which are a part of machine10.

[0257] In the preferred embodiment the terminal processor 548 alsocommunicates with identification device 88 which determines the type anddenomination of documents as they pass through the machine. The memoryassociated with the terminal processor includes information thatcorrelates the information resolved by the identification device withparticular document types. The identification device used in thepreferred embodiment of the invention is a currency validator andcounterfeit detector (CVCD). The CVCD determines that the data sensedfrom a passing note corresponds to one of a plurality of templatesstored in memory, each of which templates reflect data that is expectedto be received from a particular note type and denomination having aparticular orientation. The memory of the terminal processor includesinformation which enables the terminal processor based on the templatewhich corresponds to the document or note, the note type, denominationand orientation. The terminal processor also maintains a record in itsmemory of the storage locations or bin numbers where documents or notesof each type are stored. The identification device is adapted to judge adocument, such as currency, as valid.

[0258] When a customer operates the machine 10, the terminal processor548 operates in accordance with its programming to cause the moduleprocessor and terminal processor to execute the necessary instructionsto carry out the transactions. In the case of a deposit transaction,carried out in response to a user input the terminal processordetermines the storage areas in the canisters where each document typeis to be stored. The terminal processor then instructs the MP to carryout the storage activity and to report back when it is completed. The MPprocesses the commands from the TP to move the media to the storagelocations in accordance with the instructions which comprise signalsfrom the TP. Likewise in a dispense transaction, which is similarlycarried out in response to a user input, the TP communicates to the MPmessages which indicate how many documents are to be dispensed fromparticular storage areas. The MP receives these messages and moves themedia to the desired locations.

[0259] As can be appreciated from the foregoing discussion, the messagesthat the TP communicates to the MP are generally general instructionsconcerning notes, sheets or other documents or media moved through themachine. The details of operating the devices and tracking the media toassure that it properly moves simultaneously as desired is carried outunder the control of the MPs and the MCs.

[0260] The module controllers (MC) are associated with particulardevices or combinations of devices in the system. The MCs generally runrelatively simple limited routines which are stored in their associatedmemories. The programs run by the MCs are generally referred to astasks. The tasks are state based programs (state machines) that enablestarting or controlling other tasks from signals received from the MP aswell as from sensors, devices or from other tasks.

[0261] Each MC in the preferred embodiment is associated with a group ofphysical devices. In the preferred embodiment an MC is associated withthe CVCD to control the operation of its sampling devices and sensors.The MC associated with the CVCD runs tasks which activate emitters andreceivers to generate the sample data. The MC for the CVCD also providessignals associated with the leading and trailing edges of the note. Italso calculates the angle of skew of a document as it passes through theCVCD. The signals and information resolved by the MC associated with theCVCD is communicated to the MP.

[0262] The devices which move documents through the input/outputfunction 32 and the unstack, deskew and centering alignment functions34, 36 and 38 are all controlled by a single module controller in thepreferred embodiment. These functions and the devices associatedtherewith are referred to as the central transport (CT). The modulecontroller associated with the central transport executes tasksnecessary for the movement of documents through the central transport aslater discussed in detail. An MC is also associated with each currencyrecycling canister and the mechanisms in the machine that remove anddeposit documents in the bin areas in the canisters. The MC associatedwith each canister also controls the canister delivery transportassociated with the transport as well as the remote transport segmentand media gate associated with the transport. The devices which operateto perform these functions are referred to as a multimedia recycler(MMR). As will be appreciated, each canister in the machine isassociated with a separate MMR and each is operated under the control ofa separate MC.

[0263] While the TP performs the high level functions associated withcurrency recycling and the MCs perform the lowest level functions, theMP performs the critical functions which enable everything to work incoordinated relation. The MP is an object oriented software system. TheMP operates to control the flow of media between the CT and the MMRs.The MP does this in response to the dispense and deposit mediainstructions which comprise signals it receives from the TP. The MP alsoprovides customizable thresholds and functions for deposit, reject anddivert operations. The MP also functions to process the information thatit receives from the MCs which are associated with each MMR, the CVCDand the CT.

[0264] The MP also performs a data logging function in the system. A logis kept of TP-MP communications as well as MP-MC communications. The MPalso maintains a log of internal software assertions or faults. A log ofexternal software assertions or faults is also maintained by the MP inits associated data store. The MP also maintains a virtualrepresentation of the system and the media therein. This includes avirtual representation of the order and placement of all the elementswhich handle media in the machine. In addition, the MP maintainsinformation concerning the number of documents stored at variouslocations and the identification information which corresponds to thevarious stored documents. The MP also functions to detect media jams andother problems, and operates to attempt recoveries. The MP detects thetrailing and leading edges of documents which move through the system.It also verifies events for time, source, order and validity in a mannerwhich is later described.

[0265] The MP controls the MCs to perform recoveries in certaincircumstances and reprograms the MCs when necessary. The MP retrieveslimited data logs maintained in the MCs and stores the information inits associated non-volatile memory. The MP also operates to detectfailures of an MC and to reset MC time stamps when necessary.

[0266] The MP communicates with the TP and performs all of theactivities necessary to carry out the TP instructions. The MP generallyoperates to finish all operations associated with a current transactionbefore beginning to fulfill a new transaction request from the TP. Forexample, after a collection of documents has been successfully deliveredor accepted from a customer, the MP must perform other operations suchas data log transfer from the MCs before the next transaction cancommence. The MP operates in accordance with its programming to assurethat these functions are carried out.

[0267] The MP also operates to coordinate the movement of media betweenthe devices controlled by the various MCs. This includes the movement ofdocuments from the central transport to the remote transport segmentsassociated with the MMRs and vice versa. The MP also provides the systemclock for controlling the coordinated movement of the documents throughthe devices, and provides the necessary communications between the MPand the TP as well as from the MP to the MCs. As will be appreciated, inthe preferred form of the system, the MCs only communicate with the MPand not with other MCs or the TP. Likewise the TP only communicates withthe MP. This approach assures that the communications are effectivelyrouted and the system processes documents quickly and effectively.

[0268] In accordance with the architecture of the MP used in thepreferred embodiment of the invention, the MP controls the flow of eachnote, document or other piece of media within the system without regardto media which may be preceding or following the particular piece ofmedia. Rather, the operation of the system controls and tracks themovement of each piece of media to achieve the desired routing thereofwithin timed parameters. The MP accomplishes media movement by movingthe media through locations. Locations serve as document holding areasfor holding one or more documents, either on a short term basis as inthe case of the escrow area, or a longer term basis such as the storageareas in the recycling canisters. Locations are defined as either acontrol point or a sense point. A control point is an element where somephysical action takes place. A sense point is an element that gives someinformation about a document's position within the system. Controlpoints direct media to its destination while sense points move the mediatoward its destination. A gate is an example of a control point and asensor is an example of a sense point. For purposes of this disclosureall devices which serve to move or direct documents are referred to asdocument handling devices.

[0269] In the preferred embodiment every control point and every sensepoint in the recycling mechanism has a reservation queue. Thereservation queue indicates the order in which documents will pass aparticular point. The reservation queue is a FIFO ordering of all thedocuments destined to pass a given point. The reservation queues musthave the correct order to work correctly. The system insures orderintegrity by carefully watching document movements within calculatedtiming constraints.

[0270] Each control point along a path that a document is to followknows what state it should be in to direct the document correctly. Forexample, a gate may have the states of “in” which directs a document toor from an associated canister delivery transport, or “through” whichenables a document to proceed straight through a remote transportsegment. Once a document passes a control point, the control pointqueries the next document to pass it and changes state to accommodateit. In general, if a sense point is associated with a control point, itpasses the sense event to the control point. It is then the controlpoint's responsibility to decide what to do and when to do it. A sensepoint is generally the leading or trailing edge of a document. Insummary, each control point has the knowledge of what to do and when todo it in order to direct the next document along the path to thatdocument's destination, and this knowledge is derived from thereservation queue.

[0271] The architecture of the MP allows any object to communicate withany other object. These communication messages form events which drivethe system. Events comprise both media and map point events, for examplelead edge, trail edge, dispensed, etc., and system events such as startaccept, hold, reset, etc. Objects send and receive abstract messageforms to other objects. Objects interpret the messages based on theirsource and content. Some source examples are the TP, the MC or aspecific MP object. Content depends on the source and message ID. Thisarchitecture allows any object to receive a specific map point messagecaused by a unique physical document. The preferred architecture alsotreats all messages as object to object even if eventual messagedestination is another processor such as the TP or an MC. The physicallayer differences are transparent to the client.

[0272] The MP has several class categories which group one or moresimilar classes. These class categories and their relationships areschematically represented in FIG. 71. The EDT commands class categoryschematically indicated 700, processes and dispatches commands to thedevices connected to the MCs. EDT commands dispatch commands to EDTmodules 702 and receive notification when documents have completed theirmoves. EDT commands 700 also maintains a synopsis of the commandexecution for later usage and to provide the TP with the end result.This class category also has switching duty for all communications withthe TP.

[0273] The EDT commands class category maintains the overall systemstatus, dispense status and accept status. It validates commandsconsidering the current system status, and rejects those commands thatit cannot process. EDT commands also verifies command and parameterinputs from the TP. It handles locally the interface errors and harderrors that result from communications faults.

[0274] The classes within the EDT commands class categories includeinterface classes. The interface classes interpret and process TPsignals representative of commands, provide the results of commands,manage the document dispense sequence, track completed document movesand disable the system when the document movement is completed.

[0275] EDT commands further includes deposit results class. The depositresults interpret the messages which indicate that document transit iscomplete, stores the results, and processes the results into a documentmovement response to the TP. It also maintains a synopsis of mediamovements and collates the media movements into their constituent parts.The deposit results class adds a new entry to the results for eachdocument that reaches its destination and saves a transit record forthat document. The EDT commands also includes a status class. The statusclass stores the state of the system and retrieves the state ofindividual elements. The status class also determines whether apotential document movement is possible. If such movement is notpossible, it may reject a command.

[0276] EDT commands also includes a withdraw results class. This classinterprets the TP withdraw message and provides the withdraw sequence.The withdraw results class also stores the results and processes theresults into a TP media movement response. A synopsis of documentmovements is maintained and collates document movements into theirconstituent parts. The withdraw results class also verifies the actualmedia results against what was expected and supplies supplementalmessages to complete the TP withdraw message if the results do notconform to what was requested.

[0277] In the course of a withdrawal transaction, EDT commands 700issues dispense commands to EDT modules 702 without considering anypossible interference situations from previous dispense commands. EDTmodules operates to check for interference from other modules and insidethe current module. This enables EDT modules 702 to perform any modulepreparation during the interference time. As a result, documents aredispensed as soon as any interference clears. EDT modules 702 return asystems event (dispense complete) to EDT commands 700 and disables thelocation where the dispense is complete. The dispense complete systemevent triggers EDT commands 700 to issue the next dispense command inthe sequence. Each media instance will report a system event (mediahome) to EDT commands upon reaching its destination. EDT commands willuse this information to complete the transaction, update the results,disable the system and report to the TP.

[0278] Since EDT commands can send dispense commands withoutinterference considerations, the EDT modules class category 702 mustdetermine when it can begin processing the next dispense. To accomplishthis, EDT modules 702 operates to wait until the last media from theprevious dispense command has entered the remote transport segment andis moving vertically towards the CT. EDT modules 702 register for the“clearance event” from the module at the interference slot. An eventmessage schedule delivery option after the event insures proper mediaspacing. Thus, EDT modules 702 will receive the event when it needs it,not exactly when it actually occurs.

[0279] The EDT commands class categories and EDT modules classcategories also interact when documents move from the escrow position ofthe input/output area 50 and are deposited into the storage areas of themachine. EDT commands 700 calls EDT modules 702 to get the documentstack into the UDC (unstack-deskew-center) devices. Then EDT commands700 issues the deposit command to EDT modules. Each media instancereports a system event (media home) to EDT commands upon reaching itsdestination. EDT modules return a system event (accept complete) to EDTcommands and performs station disables when the last document reachesits destination based on the identification of the document by the CVCD.EDT commands then calls EDT modules to disable all modules when the lastsystems event is received indicating that the last document has beenreceived.

[0280] Another example is the operation of the EDT commands and EDTmodules when the machine is operated to have the machine identifydocuments deposited by the customer and to hold them in escrow until thecustomer indicates that they should be deposited. The EDT commands 700sends commands to EDT modules 702 to move the media stack into the UDC.To move the entire stack to the escrow location, EDT commands issues an“escrow all” command to EDT modules. EDT modules only enables the modulecontroller for the central transport after each document is identifiedby the CVCD. EDT modules sets the destination to either “accept escrow”or “reject escrow”. Each document reports “media home” upon reaching itsdestination in either the escrow or reject area. EDT commands maintainsan account of each document in accept escrow and reject escrow. Themodules are disabled while waiting for the customer to acknowledge thetransaction. EDT commands then sends the result to the TP.

[0281] If the customer confirms the amount and indicates that they wishto have the documents deposited, the system returns the reject notes inthe manner previously described and the media stack is moved to the UDC.The accept behavior is now followed. If however the customer cancels,EDT commands 700 directs that all notes be returned. The documentsreturned include those in the reject area and those acceptable notesheld in escrow. The MP controls these actions in accordance with thesignals from the sensors in the input/output area.

[0282] EDT modules 702 has responsibility for controlling the systemduring normal activity. EDT modules 702 build a representation ofthemselves from individual module elements. Module elements are sensors,gates and stations the documents traverse in the system. Each moduleprepares itself for a transaction and insures that all modulerequirements are met for proper operation. In the preferred embodimentthere are two module types, CT and the MMR. The EDT modules class hasresponsibility to enable all modules in the system at the start of thetransaction. It also knows the specific interface to each module elementsuch as an MMR bin or gate. This holds for both send and receiveinterface messages. This class category controls the entire moduleincluding the bin and gate physical element actions. It is alsoresponsible for controlling the sensors.

[0283] EDT modules create module elements that represent the physicalmodules. Each module element has slot and station numbers to identifyits position, as well as its type, i.e., gate, location, sensor, etc.Each module element has exclusive interface knowledge to its physicalcounterpart. This allows the send and receive messages to be handled inone context as opposed to splitting them across class categories.

[0284] EDT modules 702 maintains various lists and sequences.Reservation and event sequences which are later discussed in detail, setup the system for each document movement.

[0285] The EDT modules class category 702 also contains a map whichserves as a guide to navigating the devices through which documents maypass. Just as a driver uses a map to get to a destination, so do thedocuments. The document objects traverse the system through the use of avirtual map. The map is a software representation of the physical orderof the EDT modules and module elements. Instead of a physical entrybeing at each location, there is a software representation that housesinformation about the state of the module element. In software terms themap is a linked list of indirectly referenced objects that are unique toeach module they represent. The map itself is comprised of theseelements, gates, locations, transports and sensors. As graphicallyrepresented in FIG. 72, each module is a given slot number starting withthe CT at slot zero. The slots increase with movement down the modulestack into the MMRs and decrease with movement above the CT. It shouldbe noted that as indicated in FIG. 72, the slot numbers are negativeabove the CT and the vertical transport station which comprises theremote transport segments is assigned station zero. The stations whichare above the central transport in FIG. 72 are positions for additionalmodules in the architecture and are not used in machine 10.

[0286] The station numbers start at zero indicating the verticaltransport which comprises the remote transport segments. The stationnumbers increase with movement away from the vertical transport. Forexample, each MMR has five stations. These begin with zero for thevertical transport at the remote transport segment and number onethrough four corresponding with each of the storage areas or bins withmovement away from the vertical transport.

[0287] The virtual map stores and organizes for the system status andelement data which indicates whether certain elements are okay, failed,full, empty, etc. It may also indicate conditions such as bins or notesthat are stuck, distance and position. The map also holds counts ofmedia transactions, doubles and retries. The map is used as aninformation warehouse to organize and understand the state of moduleelements. Typically when EDT modules 702 receives a message from an MC,it uses the address data, sensor or bin number, to locate thecorresponding module element. The module element contains counts andlists which allow modules to track activity and state.

[0288] The virtual maps created by the EDT modules class categories arerepresented in FIGS. 73 and 74. FIG. 73 shows a virtual mapcorresponding to devices in the central transport. Virtual element 710corresponds to the devices which serve to unstack, deskew and centerdocuments in the central transport. Virtual element 712 corresponds to atransport section which transports the stream of documents to thedocument identification device (CVCD) which is shown as a virtualelement 714. Documents then pass through a virtual element 716 whichcorresponds to a transport which moves documents to a virtual element718 which corresponds to a sensor.

[0289] A transport represented by virtual element 720 is connected to avirtual element 722 which corresponds to the CT gate which directsdocuments in one of three directions. Virtual element 722 is connectedto element 724 which corresponds to a transport to an escrow accept arearepresented by virtual element 726.

[0290] The central transport gate represented by virtual element 722 isalso connected in the virtual map to element 728 which represents atransport which leads to the reject area or reject escrow represented byelement 730. Likewise, the gate of the central transport may also directdocuments into the vertical transport comprised of remote transportsegments 108, 110, 112 and 114. This is done through a device which isrepresented by virtual element 732 in FIG. 73.

[0291] Virtual element 734 in FIG. 73 represents a transport whichcarries documents from the remote transport segments into the centraltransport such as during a dispense transaction. It should be noted thatalthough the same physical transport is used during deposit andwithdrawal transactions, the same physical element is represented by twovirtual elements.

[0292]FIG. 74 is a representation of a virtual map for an MMR. Itincludes a virtual element 736 which corresponds to a sensor adjacent toa gate represented by virtual element 738. A transport corresponding toa remote transport segment is represented by virtual element 740.

[0293] The physical elements associated with the recycling canister anda canister delivery transport are represented by virtual element 742which corresponds to a transport adjacent to the gate. Each of the fourbins in the recycling canister have three virtual elements associatedwith devices therein. Only two of the four bins or storage areas areshown in FIG. 74. Virtual element 744 corresponds to a transport sectionof the canister delivery transport. Virtual element 746 corresponds to asensor adjacent to a bin and element 748 corresponds to a bin. It willbe appreciated that the control of the system through the use of virtualelements, the operation of which is controlled at a detailed level bytasks within an MC, greatly reduces the complexity of the classes at theTP and MP levels needed to control the system operation.

[0294] The modules within the EDT modules class category 702 include adestination selection class. This class selects a deposit destinationbased on a document's identity and various heuristic control parameters.The destination selection also determines end points for reservationsequence and event sequence construction. This class also selects adestination for documents which have a problem during dispense, such asdoubles.

[0295] Locations use destination selection to determine the midpoint forthe respective reservation sequences. The midpoint defines the end ofthe dispense sequences and the beginning of the accept sequences. Eachlocation in the module stack also registers the document identifyingdata used by the CVCD to indicate the documents it can receive with thisclass. Destination selection puts the class into a collection ofpossible receipt points for each type of document.

[0296] The CVCD invokes destination selection with the resolution of aparticular template identifier. Destination selection then looks in itscollection of possible destinations to find a suitable storage area. Ifno item can accept it, the media is routed to reject or divert dependingon the mode settings.

[0297] Destination selection also contains a helper class calleddestinations. Destinations is a collection of module element referencesto all possible stack locations where media could be deposited.Destination selection contains an array which is sized to the number oftemplates each referencing a destinations class. When a particulartemplate ID is found, destinations selection indexes the array andqueries the collection of module element references to find the bestdeposit location.

[0298] EDT modules 702 also includes an event sequence class. The eventsequence class builds the event sequence from a given module element toanother module element. It also operates to manage the events list. Theevents sequence class builds and stores an event sequence for a client.The operation serves to copy this sequence to a specific documentinstance for reference during transit. The event sequence is a series ofevent objects put together in a chronologically ordered stream.

[0299] The event sequence builds itself by starting at its source andtraversing the system through the intermediate document handling devicesto a desired destination. The event sequence class creates an event foreach module type element and places it in the sequence. The moduleelement class provides the system navigation. After the event sequenceis built, this class calculates interevent times between sensor eventsfrom their distances. Locations have their interevent times built insince they are more dependent on the mechanism rather than distance.

[0300] Each location has one or two event sequences. For example,unstack-deskew-center (UDC) has only a dispense event sequence. Incontrast, an MMR bin has both dispense and accept event sequences.

[0301] Each event sequence when viewed alone covers only a part of adocument's movement. An MMR bin event sequence is from the bin to somepoint beyond when the CVCD results are available (the escrow gatesensor) at which point a decision is made as to a final destination ofmedia. Transfer of the document to a final destination involves afurther event sequence which is added to the original event sequence todirect the rest of the document's movement. The event sequence classadds the new sequence and makes a timing adjustment at the additionpoint. Partial event sequences relieve the need to edit the eventvalidation object from the media tracking class 704 when the originaldesired destination of media is incorrect.

[0302] The reservation queue class of EDT modules uses the mediareservation queue as a key to document instances as documents traversethe system. As events occur on module elements they consult thereservation queue to see which media event is expecting this event. Themodule elements know what event triggers them to remove the media fromthe queue. This is usually the trailing edge event for sensors and gatesand the dispense/accept event for locations.

[0303] The reservation sequence class of EDT modules builds and stores areservation sequence for a client. Once built, the client can invokemethods which reserve module elements along a document's path to adestination. Each reservation causes the document reference to be addedto the module element's reservation queue. As documents pass a moduleelement, the document reference is “popped” from the queue and used toresolve the proper interobject communication handle to forward events.

[0304] The reservation sequence builds itself by starting at its sourceand traversing the system to the desired destination. The moduleelements decide whether they are to be included in this sequence andknow which element is next along the path to the destination. The moduleelement class provides system navigation.

[0305] Each location has one or two reservation sequences. Theunstack-deskew-center (UDC) has only a dispense reservation sequence. AnMMR bin has both dispense and accept reservation sequences. Eachreservation sequence when viewed alone covers only a part of adocument's movement. An MMR bin reservation sequence is from the bin toa point where the CVCD results are received. At this point a decision ismade as to the final destination of the document. The final destinationcontains another reservation sequence which completes the reservationsto cover the rest of the document's movement. Partial reservationsequences relieve the need to delete the reservations from moduleelements when the original desired destination of media is incorrect. Inthe preferred embodiment of the invention the capability to “unreserve”is provided. For example, this may be necessary when a location expectsmedia to be dispensed and it is not. The UDC empty response is anexample of this scenario.

[0306] The module manager class of EDT modules 702 acts as a clientinterface to control EDT modules. It coordinates activity betweenmodules while enabling operating and disabling modules in response tooperation requests with completion events. The module manager alsoincludes a helper class called station withdraw. Its job is to aid themodule manager in managing the current and pending dispenses. Stationwithdraw also forms and sends the withdraw messages to the modules.

[0307] The module element class of the EDT modules plays a primary rolein building the reservation sequences and the event sequence. They knowwhether they should be included on a given reservation sequence andtheir type determines what entries, if any, are needed on eventsequences.

[0308] Module elements also know how to navigate the system to a givenpoint. They follow general rules based on slot and station numbers toget to a specific location. The navigation method is virtual andsubclasses such as gate, override this method in special cases. Forinstance, gate has a third module element reference to its switchpointand navigates to that point when entering a module's slot.

[0309] The module elements correspond to the physical elements andinclude a CVCD module element class. The CVCD enables and disables theelement and verifies responses for timeliness and validity. The elementpreferably does the counterfeit detection and currency validationfunctions during the accept mode and currency denomination function onlyduring a dispense. The response from the CVCD is a template ID and someadditional confidence data. The CVCD also supplies a lead edge eventwhich is sent to media tracking 704 as a lead edge and a trail edgeevent, as media tracking expects both lead and trail events for eachsensor. The CVCD interprets the data and decides whether to route themedia to a storage or other location for valid media, or reject it. TheCVCD also detects doubles and media skew angle. The CVCD considers thesefactors as it decides whether a document is valid or allowable. The CVCDuses destination selection to find a location corresponding to thedocument status, i.e., normal, double, force, reject, etc. The CVCDupdates media tracking with a template ID skew angle and any otherpertinent data, and uses the final destination to complete mediatracking events sequence and the required reservations.

[0310] A gate module element class is an abstract class which models thebehaviors common to all gates. Solenoids controlled by MCs controlphysical gate elements. The gate class contains solenoid data andinitializes MC control parameters.

[0311] Each gate is associated with a sensor. The sensor forwards eventsto the gate. The gate interprets the event, consults the reservationqueue and changes its state to direct the next media along the path toits destination. The gate has the knowledge of when to send the MCmessage based on the current media size and the next media size. If theaction is to be taken after some delay, the gate schedules the MCmessage to be sent after the delay. Otherwise the MC message is sentimmediately.

[0312] The gate bases its state decision on how to direct the next mediato pass. In situations where there is no next media indication on thereservation queue, the gate changes state for that media immediately.The very first document in the transaction is an example of thisscenario. The gate knows to change state for the next media when thecurrent media is clear of the gate. If there is no current document ormedia to wait for, then obviously there is no need to wait. Thereforewhen the gate receives a reservation for media and the reservation queueis empty, the gate changes state for that media immediately.

[0313] The gate class operates to remove media from the reservationqueue when it receives the trailing edge from the sensor. There are twoconcrete subclasses to the gate class. This is CT gate and verticaltransport gate. Each overrides virtual methods in gate to implementthese special cases.

[0314] A location class is an abstract class which models the behaviorscommon to all locations. A client enables/disables locations fordispense or accept. Locations sequentially dispense a number ofdocuments or asynchronously accept documents.

[0315] Each location builds its reservation and event sequencesaccording to its special needs. For example, the last sensor in theaccept event sequence to an MMR bin does not generate an edge event.When a bin is enabled its sensor is used for media accept detection andnot for edge detection. The location knows this and builds its sequencesa little differently. It builds from the point just beyond its sensor tothe midpoint and then from the midpoint to the point just beyond itssensor. It then adds the dispense or accept sequence as needed. The sameexample holds for the first sensor in the dispense sequence. Eachlocation knows what special rules govern the building of each sequence.This is how the unique features and rules of the modules and moduleelements are reflected in the event sequence.

[0316] An escrow class serves as a concrete class for the “acceptescrow” and “reject escrow” stations. The CT instantiates this classtwice, once for the accept escrow and once for the reject escrow. Theonly difference is the station number. Escrow has one reservationsequence and one event sequence, both from the midpoint to this moduleelement. CVCD invokes the complete media accept method which setsmedia's destination at the event sequence that makes the reservationsfor media.

[0317] The process message method simply interprets the accept message,removes the next media from the reservation queue and sends the mediathe event. Escrow also keeps a transaction count of the number ofaccepted media and whether it is empty.

[0318] An MMR bin class controls all the storage locations in themachine. The MMR bin enables and disables the element and verifiesresponses for timeliness and validity. To verify the MC response, theMMR bin schedules a call back to a time out method. When the commandresponse is received, the call back is cancelled. If the time out methodexecutes, the MC has not responded in the allotted time and a recoveryaction is started.

[0319] MMR bin also has two event sequences, one for deposits and onefor withdrawals. The withdrawal sequence defines the events mediatracking expects from this bin to the stack. The deposit sequencedefines the events media tracking expects from the CVCD to this bin.

[0320] The bins enable or disable themselves on the destination of thenext media. If this is the next media's destination, the bin is enabled.Otherwise, it is disabled. The MMR bin is associated with a sensor whichhas reservation queue of all the media to pass that sensor. The sensorforwards events to the bin and the bin decides what its next stateshould be. These states are “in” for directing media into the bin, or“through” which enables the media or the documents to pass by. If theaction is to be taken after some delay, bin schedules the MC message tobe sent after the delay. Otherwise, the MC message is sent immediately.The MMR bin adjusts the time out value to compensate for a delay inmessage delivery.

[0321] The MMR bin class bases its state decision on how to direct thenext media to pass. The question is what to do if there is no next mediain the reservation queue. The very first media in the transaction is anexample of this scenario. The bin knows to change state for the nextmedia when the current media is clear of the bin. If there is no currentmedia to wait for, then obviously there is no need to wait. Therefore,when the bin receives a reservation for media and the reservation queueis empty, the bin changes state for that media immediately. The binremoves media from the reservation queue when it receives the MCaccepted message. When the MMR bin class operates to dispense adocument, the bin waits for any previous dispensed media to clear andthen enables itself. It gets and initializes a media instance, releasesthe media and finally commands the MC to dispense some number of media.The MC sets the gap and reports as it dispenses each media. As the binreceives each dispensed message, it interprets the dispensed message asto status of the media. The bin updates media with this status (which isusually normal) and forwards a dispense event to the current media onits reservation queue and gets and initializes the next media. After thelast dispense the bin disables itself and sends a completion event tothe client.

[0322] Media initialization entails setting physical parameters andsource and destination references. The bin also sets media trackingsevents sequence and makes the appropriate reservations. All theinitialization is complete before the bin releases media. The binremoves the media from its reservation queue when it receives thedispense message.

[0323] The module elements further include a sensor class. At the startof a transaction all sensors are enabled to sense media. The enablingand disabling of sensors is handled by the MC as part of the modulecontrol. Each sensor element contains the knowledge of what to do towatch for a given transaction. For example, on dispense a sensor maywatch for trailing edge only, while on accept it may enable for leadingand trailing edge detection. At the end of a transaction the sensors aredisabled or go into an infrequent watch mode to look for foreign objectsin the transport.

[0324] During a transaction the sensor class receives messages andjudges their validity to determine if the message data is correct. Thesensor class also has a reservation queue containing an ordered list ofmedia documents to pass by. The sensor consults the reservation queuefor the media causing the event and the next expected media. If thissensor has a relationship with a control element, the event is forwardedto the control element. Next the event is forwarded to the media causingthe event for interevent timing checks and positioning. Finally, thesensor updates the reservation queue.

[0325] The sensor also includes a recovery method when media trackingdetermines it has missed an event. The sensor pretends that the eventhas occurred. It does everything it would normally do, queue, controlpoint, etc., but does not send the edge event to media since mediatracking has already timed out on the sensor.

[0326] The modules also include an unstack-deskew-center (UDC) class.The UDC is enabled and disabled as part of the module control. The UDCalso issues the dispense message command to begin depositing media. TheMC controls the unstack-deskew-center functions locally includingsetting the intermedia gap. The MC will continue unstacking, deskewingand centering until all media is exhausted or it is told to stop. Aseach dispense message is received, UDC interprets the message andupdates media with data from the unstacked-deskew-center operation. Itthen forwards a dispense event to the media. The UDC also analyzes theinput and output values for skew and center and applies any necessaryoffsets. It also uses the skew angle as center data seen by CVCD toadjust the deskew-center operation.

[0327] The UDC class is not used during withdrawal transactions. This isbecause during withdrawals documents do not pass through the portion ofthe central transport which involves unstacking. The UDC also executesthe pause-recover-resume sequence when the MC indicates it has aproblem. The UDC requests notification when the last media is safely outof the way, executes the recovery and then resumes the dispense.

[0328] A transport class is also provided. This class stores andprovides access to a specific transport section. This class serves asthe concrete class which models the length and physical nature of thevarious transports which handle documents.

[0329] A module class serves as an abstract base class for all specificmodule classes and provides a means to move from module to module inboth the accept and dispense directions. At system initialization, themodules are instructed to build a simulation of their structureconsisting of module elements. Each module slot is connected to theother modules forming a virtual map of the system.

[0330] At the start of a transaction, the modules enable theirtransports and send any other necessary elements which affect the wholemodule. The reverse is performed at the end of the transaction. Acontrol task receives messages from module manager and coordinates itsmodule elements to perform the action requested in the message. Adistribution task receives MC messages from the modules' address and thecommand response class. Thus, the module does not specifically interpretall MC messages.

[0331] Module classes do not include the responsibility to controlindividual module elements. Each module element controls itself. Themodule class serves to coordinate activity between module elements whenpreparing for a transaction or stopping after a transaction.

[0332] The module classes include a central transport class. The centraltransport class models the physical CT module. During deposit, the CTclass directs the customer stack media accept movement and verifies thatthe stack has moved to the unstacker. The CT informs the client of thestack acceptance. The CT begins the single media deposit by enabling themodule to deposit. The CT commands the UDC to begin dispense. The CTroutes MC messages to the stations until told to shut down the module.The stations do most of the work themselves. After the UDC dispenses allmedia, the module manager commands the module to shut down and the CTdisables itself.

[0333] In a withdrawal, the CT enables itself and the CVCD for thedispense operation. When all media have completed their movement, modulemanager commands a shut down of the system which instructs a disable ofthe CT module. The CT disables itself and sends a completion event.

[0334] The MMR module class configures the module for deposit andenables the module elements for deposit. During deposit, MMR routes MCmessages to the appropriate module element. The MMR disables the moduleelements at the end of the transaction.

[0335] During a withdrawal, MMR class configures the module forwithdrawal and enables the module elements for withdrawal. Each bindispenses in sequence and informs the module after the correct number ofmedia are dispensed. The MMR disables the module elements at the end ofthe transaction.

[0336] The module class further includes a stack handling class. Stackhandling accepts media from a user and then presents the stack to theUDC. Stack handler accepts media from the accept escrow location andpresents it to the customer. Stack handling also processes modulecontroller messages from the central transport which routes documents tothe stacks in the input/output area of the machine. Stack handling alsoinsures that the gate is closed after accepting or delivering a mediastack to a customer.

[0337] The EDT modules class category 702 further includes transportcontrol classes. The transport control provides an interface to controltransports within the machine. The class further forms and sendstransport messages or signals to the MCs and interprets the transport onresponse. The EDT modules classes use this class to enable and disabletransports in the system.

[0338] The media tracking class category 704 operates to model everypiece of physical media on the MP with a proxy. The proxy is the mainclass of the media tracking class category. This category maintains eachmedia's position, identity, source, destination and timing informationalong with several other items. Media tracking has the responsibility tohouse all the pertinent information about all media traversing thesystem. Each instance of media tracking also owns an event validationobject to verify events received while moving around the system.

[0339] Media tracking sends events when it reaches its destination or itdetects an event problem. It keeps a media list for recycling a finitenumber of media objects after each completed move. This list also servesto identify which media items are actively moving, which are ready for anew assignment and in what order they are released. This is essentiallya dispense order.

[0340] Media tracking involves an “event check” on each event messagereceived. An event validation object checks the event and takes anygiven event action. The event validation object provides media trackingwith the next event expected time. This is how event time outs aredetected. When an event time out occurs, media tracking notifiestransaction recovery classes which determines a course of action. Mediatracking stops using the event validation object when it has reached itsdestination. Each media instance tracks a physical piece of media (i.e.,document) anywhere in the system. EDT modules stores a unique eventsequence for each movement in the system as previously discussed. Thisevent sequence is copied to media tracking's event validation prior toreleasing media. This allows each media instance to track any physicalmedia from any point to any other point within the system with no impacton the media class itself.

[0341] EDT modules class category is responsible for getting a mediainstance and performing the necessary initialization. It builds andstores the appropriate event and reservation sequences which allow mediato get to a destination and verify its journey. Finally, EDT modulescopies an event sequence for media tracking to use, releases theinstance and sends the command to dispense the physical media. Media isreleased first since the physical media may generate a sensor eventbefore the actual dispense event is received. This insulates the systemfrom apparent out of order events that are dependent on the media'sdispense location. Media tracking is responsible for receiving andsending system events, processing events from the module elements,checking timing and updating media positions. The events sequencecontains all the information for media tracking to process events,timing, the next module, element position and other information.

[0342] During document movement EDT modules forwards events as messagesto the media instance. These “media events” also allow EDT modules toset important values based on the event messages such as the skew angle,center data, document identifier template and size.

[0343] Media events are the means by which EDT modules and mediatracking collaborate to insure that movement is proceeding as expected.Media events are basically messages from EDT modules to media trackingthat contain information about what, where and when events are happeningin the system. It is also a means by which the system detects apotential problem or suspect condition. Basically, media is routed byfollowing a stream of events that should occur during its movement.

[0344] The EDT modules has the event sequence objects which containevents one expects while enroute from one module element to another.Media tracking contains event validation objects which copy an eventsequence and validate the events as they are received from sensingdevices that sense documents or other conditions.

[0345] Events can fail in either time, identity or source. An event canbe too early or late or it can simply be the wrong event. Media positionis checked based on a difference in time from the last known referencepoint which is a previous event. The event identity defines things suchas a trail edge dispensed or accepted as corresponding media traverses asystem. Of course, the event can come from an unexpected position aswell, indicating that something has been misplaced.

[0346] A listing of media events which occur within the system and theactions that are taken in response to media events are indicated in thetable shown in FIG. 75. Of course, in other embodiments of the inventionother events and corresponding actions may be used in connection withthe movement of documents.

[0347] Event validation has responsibility to know the format of all EDTmodules to media tracking event messages, how to compare those messagesto the stream events and how to validate the event in terms of time andplace. Media's position is updated based on the specific event data.

[0348] EDT modules presents the events stream from the source to themidpoint somewhere after the CVCD. CVCD uses the destination to completethe event stream during the results processing. This also allows eventsto perform specific module or event location actions. For example, theevents contain information on how to update media's position. Events mayalso carry some information which is used in performing transactionrecovery of what to do when the event fails.

[0349] Referring to FIG. 71, the transaction recovery class category isschematically indicated 706. This category is accountable for modulelevel and system level media error recoveries. Transaction recovery hasthe responsibility to look at the system, determine the probable areasand select and execute a suitable recovery. The input to a recovery issome unexpected behavior and an unknown media state. The outcome of arecovery is a system in a known state ready to continue a currenttransaction, or a degraded or completely inoperable system.

[0350] Transaction recovery operates as an entirely separate context. Itassumes system wide control until the error is resolved. Transactionrecovery uses media tracking to determine the locations of documents andcurrent state data. Once media tracking detects an apparent problem itnotifies transaction recovery with this information such as an erroneousor missed event. Transaction recovery classifies the problem and decideshow to proceed.

[0351] Transaction recovery also communicates with EDT commands 700 toindicate a recovery is in progress and EDT modules 702 to indicate it isnow in control. Transaction recovery uses EDT modules as an interfacefor control and notification. The EDT modules no longer performsautonomous actions, but rather is relegated to transaction recovery inthis mode. Error recovery is only executed when safe in terms of entiretransactions sequence. Transaction recovery preferably allows thetransaction to continue until it is safe for it to start executing. Thismay include delivery of non-error media to its destination, haltingfurther operations or stopping certain horizontal belt sections.Transaction recovery has responsibility for handling most hard errors,out of order events, missed events, MC communication faults, media jamsand other failures.

[0352] During a recovery, EDT modules presents an atomic module controlinterface. Transaction recovery then does very special actions which areoutside the normal EDT modules operating context. The current modulestate helps determine what the problem is and what recovery to execute.During recovery EDT modules forwards all event messages to transactionrecovery instead of media tracking.

[0353] Prior to executing a recovery, transaction recovery directs EDTmodules to refresh the state of all its module elements. Some moduleelements schedule MC messages for future delivery. If the recoveryoccurs in this time there is a potential state conflict. Polling themodule elements insures that the state presented to transaction recoveryis the actual one which exists in the system.

[0354] Transaction recovery also consults media tracking to get mediapositions in the system. It will halt some media and allow others tocontinue to their destination. Media track instances provide transactionrecovery with media, position, size, identity and event timinginformation necessary to make a decision about the problem and therecovery to execute. Once the recovery is complete, transaction recoverywill reset all media track instances halted during the recovery. Thispresents a known system state so the transaction sequence can continue.Transaction recovery preferably does not use media track instances towatch media move during the recovery.

[0355] As represented in FIG. 71, the class categories which reside inthe module processor also include EDT logging, schematically indicated750. The global EDT logging category is used for all types of datalogging, message tracing and user event recording. Logs exist for eachMC, TP/MP communications, MP/MC communications and MP software events.Any active MC data logs are retrieved by the MP after each transaction.The MP saves all active data logs to a mass storage device after eachtransaction.

[0356] Interobject communication (IOC) class category 752 is a classcategory which handles all object to object communications within theMP. Any MP object can send a message to any other MP object that isexecuting a task. The interobject communications has the capabilities toenable lid objects to talk to one another. The sender of the messagespecifies which object is to receive the message and IOC routes themessage to the recipient. The IOC also allows objects to talk to otherprocessors such as the TP or MC.

[0357] The IOC manages the internal differences of how to talk to otherprocessors. All messages to an IOC receiver are placed on the same inputqueue and are of equal priority. Clients do not register for messagesfrom other MP objects. The sender is responsible for knowing thereceiver's IOC identifier. However, receivers of messages from otherprocessors must manually register their IOC identifier for the addressesfrom which they wish to receive. This allows multiple objects to receivemessages based on message class from other processors. The IOC maintainsa list of each MC, its assigned address, slot identifier, module typeand other information.

[0358] To send a message to a particular object, the sender gets thereceiver's IOC handle and forwards the message to it. Each object ortask which intends to communicate through the IOC has an IOC handle.Clients use the IOC to converse with other MP objects. The relationshipis created by the client through creating a receive queue instance andusing it to wait for input. The IOC gives clients messages for sending.After interpretation the client returns messages to the IOC for reuse byanother object.

[0359] The MP class categories also includes error handling,schematically indicated 754. In FIG. 71 the global error handling classcategory is used by the MP software for processing all soft errors.Error handling requires knowledge of the current system state and insome instances may wait for completion of other processing. Thiscategory contains the assert routines used when a soft error isdetected.

[0360] The start up and shut down class category is schematicallyindicated 756 in FIG. 71. This category possesses behavior and knowledgewhich enables it to get the system to a known state of power up. It alsogracefully shuts down the system when required. Start up includesbooting each MC, downloading applications and invoking start up classesof the other class categories. Shut down covers uploading anynon-volatile settings and placing the machine in a secure state.

[0361] Although the class categories shown in FIG. 71 are used in thepreferred embodiment, other embodiments of the invention may use otherarrangements. The function performed by class categories may be carriedout in other processors or at other levels in the transaction hierarchy.Other embodiments may also include additional or different classcategories.

[0362] A fundamental advantage of the preferred embodiment of thepresent invention is that the classes enable the development of an eventsequence and a reservation sequence associated with the routing of eachdocument that is moved in the system. This provides for the creation ofreservation queues in each location, which are used to monitor movementof documents and direct them appropriately. This approach enableshandling of the document by the physical document handling devices inthe system concurrently and without the need to wait for each documentto reach its final destination before beginning another documentmovement. In the preferred embodiment of the invention the TP deliversits document delivery instructions so as to build a document stack fordelivery to the customer. This enables the TP to select the order inwhich the documents are to be stacked. This may be important to someusers such as merchants that desire to have documents presented in aparticular order. In alternative embodiments, the machine may includeseparators in a storage area, the dispense of which may be controlledsimilar to other documents so as to separate particular types ofdocuments such as denominations of notes. Such separators may bedispensed in a manner similar to other documents handled by the machine.

[0363] Alternatively, the TP may operate to minimize transactionprocessing speed without regard to providing the document stack with anyparticular document order. In this case the TP may send dispensemessages in a manner that causes documents to be dispensed from storageareas which are closest to the central transport and then movingprogressively further away from the central transport. In this mannerdocuments began reaching the central transport more quickly. Documentswhich must begin moving further away may enter and join the stream ofdocuments following on those preceding documents. The particularapproach used will depend on the programming of the TP and the needs andrequirements of the particular customer operating the machine.

[0364] As schematically indicated in FIG. 63, the module controllers554, 556, 558, 560, 562 and 564 all communicate on the MC communicationsbus 566. The MCs communicate only with the module processor and not withone another. The MCs also control devices 567 through appropriateinterfaces.

[0365] The MCs include programs or tasks which control the associateddevices. The tasks are generally fairly simple processes that arefrequently repeated in the normal course of operation. Tasks are statemachines in the preferred embodiment and can be initiated or interruptedby messages from the MP or another task. A software environment in an MCis schematically indicated 758 in FIG. 76. MC 78 is shown operating fivetasks therein schematically indicated 760, 762, 764, 766 and 768. Itshould be understood that the tasks operating in the MC change duringthe course of operation of the MC as do the number of tasks concurrentlyrunning.

[0366] An example of the operation of an MC is indicated schematicallywith reference to the MC software flow associated with the centraltransport which is represented in FIG. 77. FIG. 77 shows tasks which runin the MC as a function of time during the course of handling a stack ofdocuments. It also indicates the source of a signal or message whichcauses a task to be initiated. A module status task 770 is the firsttask shown in FIG. 77 which is initiated in the MC from an MP message.This task is associated with receiving a stack of documents from thecustomer. The module status task returns a message back to the MP whichthen initiates a task indicated 772 in which a stack of documents isaccepted from a customer. This task then initiates a task 774 in whichthe elements of the machine are operated to secure an input stackbetween the transport belts in the input/output area 50 of the machinein the manner shown in FIG. 4.

[0367] The MP then initiates a task 776 in which the stack is moved andthereafter a task 778 which enables the module. The module enabled thenenables a stack task 780. The MP also initiates an export on task 782and an unstack task 784.

[0368] As can be appreciated from the foregoing description of theunstack, deskew and centering operations, the unstack initiates apre-center task 786 which moves the shuttle to catch a document that hasbeen unstacked. The pre-center task then launches the deskew task 788.The deskew task in turn initiates the centering task 790 in which theshuttle centers the deskewed note in the transport. Thereafter thecentering task initiates a release note task 792. The release note taskinitiates the repetition of the unstacking cycle in the unstack task andthe process continues to operate the document handling devices until allthe notes are unstacked.

[0369] After unstacking, a module disable task 794 is initiated by theMP as is an export off task 796. It should be appreciated that inperforming these tasks communications are exchanged with the MP so thatthe MP may coordinate the transport of the documents. The MP messagesare not shown, other than the MP messages which initiate a task. Thecapability of the MC to carry out these various tasks and control theassociated devices enables the MP to concentrate on coordinating thedocument movement activities.

[0370] As can be appreciated with regard to tasks 784, 786, 788, 790 and792, tasks which run on an MC are often interdependent. As shown bythese tasks, a task may be initiated in response to a change of statewhich occurs in another task. In conventional transaction processingsystems, once a change of state has occurred so as to initiate a followon task, the follow on task will continue to completion. However, in thepreferred embodiment of the invention where documents are movedconcurrently, the conventional approach is generally not acceptable.This is because with plural documents moving concurrently as isnecessary to achieve higher transaction speed, a change in state back toa prior state or further state may occur after a subsequent task isinitiated. A failure to take appropriate action to discontinue orotherwise modify a task after it has been launched may result in anerror or failure of the machine.

[0371] To deal with the need to process documents concurrently, the MCsof the present invention include a task manager schematically indicated798 in FIG. 76. The task manager in the preferred embodiment comprisesan array which includes the then current state of each of the tasks thenrunning in the MC. The state of each task is checked on a periodic basisto determine if a state has changed which would require a change in theoperation of a task that is currently running. In the preferredembodiment the task manager checks the states of all the tasks eachmillisecond. The checking of these states is indicated by a pointer 799in FIG. 76. As will be appreciated, this pointer schematically indicatesthe cyclical checking of the then current state of each of the tasks.

[0372] As the tasks are operated in the MC, the task managercontinuously monitors on a periodic basis for any changes in states thatmay affect the operation of another currently operating task. If achange in state occurs any tasks which were initiated or are otherwiseongoing dependent on the prior state, are modified appropriately inaccordance with their configuration to conform to the change which hasoccurred. For example, in the deskew and centering operation, once anote is centered the shuttle operates to release it. If however amalfunction occurs and the note continues to be engaged with theshuttle, failure to stop the next note until the prior note is releasedwill result in a collision of the notes. If a note is not released, thetask manager may notify the task controlling unstack to interrupt itsoperation to prevent the release of another note towards the shuttle.

[0373] It should be understood that this is but one example of asituation where an unanticipated change in state is detected by the taskmanager and is used to modify another task. There are many otherexamples in the system which will be appreciated by those skilled in theart. The operation of a task manager in each MC enhances reliableoperation of the system and enables the system to tolerate unexpectedevents. It should be understood that although the principles of thepresent invention have been described to a three tier arrangement ofprocessors (TP, MP and MC-MCPs) other embodiments may use a differentprocessor architecture. This includes different numbers of tiers ofprocessors and different allocations of activities among the processors.It should further be understood that the designations given to thecomponents and features given to the described embodiment are used tofacilitate the description thereof and are not intended to be limitingin terms of the functions that corresponding features and components mayperform in other embodiments.

[0374] Thus the preferred embodiment of the present invention achievesthe above stated objectives, eliminates difficulties encountered in theuse of prior devices, systems and methods, and attains the desiredresults described herein.

[0375] In the foregoing description certain terms have been used forbrevity, clarity and understanding. However, no unnecessary limitationsare to be implied therefrom because such terms are used for descriptivepurposes and are intended to be broadly construed. Moreover theforegoing descriptions and illustrations are by way of examples and theinvention is not limited to the details shown or described.

[0376] In the following claims any feature described as a means forperforming a function shall be construed as encompassing any meanscapable of performing the recited function and shall not be limited tothe means shown and described in the foregoing description as performingthe recited function, or mere equivalents thereof.

[0377] Having described the features, discoveries and principles of theinvention, the manner in which it is constructed and operated and thenew and useful results attained; the new and useful structures, devices,elements, arrangements, parts, combinations, systems, operations,methods and relationships are set forth in the appended claims.

We claim:
 1. Apparatus comprising: an automated transaction machinesystem including: an identification device adapted to judge a document;a document holding area configured to hold at least one judged document;at least one document handling device, wherein the at least one documenthandling device is selectively operative to move a document, wherein theat least one document handling device is in operative connection withthe document holding area and the identification device, wherein the atleast one document handling device is adapted to move a document fromthe identification device to the document holding area, and wherein theat least one document handling device is adapted to move a judgeddocument from the document holding area to the identification device forfurther judgement.